Finding a Queen
by MaryRose89
Summary: England's soon-to-be king, Edward, is getting ready to ascend to the throne. His father's only condition: he has to get married first, and if he doesn't find a girl in the next month, his father will be the one choosing. AH
1. Women Watching

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Just this particular plot idea.**

**EPOV**

"Edward, are you ever going to get out of bed? You have things to do if you ever want to be king!"

I rolled over, groaning. Why did my mother have to come in screaming every morning for me to get out of bed? It wasn't even 8 o'clock yet.

"Edward, did you hear me?"

"Yes, mom. I heard you. I'm getting up as soon as you leave."

As she walked out, she threw me one of those you-better-not-be-lying looks. I smiled, rolled my eyes, and as soon as the door was shut, I threw the covers off and sat up. I had so much to do. In all actuality, it wasn't all that much. Just some basic things, like looking over all of England's laws, as if I hadn't been doing that all of my life. As I walked to the shower, I started thinking about where I was going to find a bride. That was my father's one condition to me becoming king. He had told me that no son of his would be king without a queen. So I had to find a bride. That should be easy, right? Wrong. I only had a month to find one, and too many of the ladies in London simply threw themselves at me. Who would want that? A loud, booming laughter answered my thoughts.

"Hey, Edward! You need to get going! We got lots of ladies to look at today!" Emmet said. Emmet and I had known each other for years, and we had only gotten closer. We met at Oxford during our sophomore year. We had become best friends right away.

"I'm going. Why don't you make yourself right at home, Emmet?" I said, trying to sound annoyed, knowing I really wasn't.

"Oh, don't worry, I will. Jasper will be meeting us at the park today."

That's right. I had forgotten that we were going to Regents Park today. We had been to just about every other place in the last couple of weeks, "women watching" according to Emmet.

"Let me take a quick shower, then we can head out," I told Emmet as I headed to the bathroom. I don't think he heard me. He had gotten into my cabinet of video games and was playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I shook my head, laughing silently to myself.

After I got out of the shower, I could still hear Emmet playing COD. I quickly got dressed in some of my more down-toned clothing, so as not to attract too much attention, and went out into my bedroom. When he didn't so much as look up at me, I walked over to the video game console and pulled the power cord out of the wall.

"Hey! I was winning that game!" Emmet complained loudly.

"Yeah, and we have places to go, people to see," I told him.

He got up, still grumbling to himself, and headed towards the door. His attitude changed quickly, however.

"Come on Eddie! Let's go women watching!"

I followed, reluctant to have more women throwing themselves at me. I knew that eventually I would find the right woman, or at least one that would work. I had to. I didn't want my father choosing a girl for me.

* * *

When we arrived at the park, Jasper was already there. He was sitting underneath his favorite tree. He smiled and waved when he saw us walking towards him. Then he went back to women watching. Jasper was my cousin. My favorite cousin. He was the only one who ever saw any sense in things.

"Hey Jasper. Anything good today?" Emmet asked, sounding more like he was asking if the fish were biting then anything.

"Yeah, a couple of really good looking women. There was one who was . . ."

I interrupted him. "Was she honestly good looking, or was she just another girl who tries to look like the newest fashion model?"

"Well, she was honestly very pretty," Jasper said, glaring at me for interrupting. "She was tall, had dark hair that fell to about the middle of her back, and she was wearing short shorts that showed off her very toned tan legs."

Emmet whistled at that. That was exactly his type of woman. It was not mine, however.

"Jasper, honestly, that isn't what I'm looking for, and you know it."

"Yeah, I know, but I figured that if we are going to women watching with you, then I might as well look for someone that I like."

I smiled at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You guys should find someone, too."

"It's about time you realize that!" Emmet practically shouted at me. "Don't think that I just come to help you look for a woman. There would be no point in that." His booming laughter attracted more than one stare.

"Oh, would you look at that," Jasper said quietly. I followed his eyes, and they were on one of the most beautiful ladies that I had seen in a while. She was also headed right toward us.

"Hey. What are you fine men doing out here on a day like today without a lovely woman at your side?" She asked as she got closer to us.

I answered before Emmet got a chance to. "Well, it's just such a nice day that we wanted to hang out together in the sun. Regents Park just seemed like the right place to stay."

She smiled, nodded her head, then held out her hand. "I'm Tanya, by the way. I live in Spain, but I like to vacation here once every couple of months or so."

I took her hand and kissed the top of it gently. That was the most gentlemanly thing to do, right? "It's very nice to meet you, Tanya."

As I took my hand away from hers, she slipped a piece of paper into my hand. "The pleasures all mine. Give me a call sometime. That's the number for my hotel. Maybe we can get together sometime." With that, she gave me a wink and headed back the way she came.

"Oh man! Eddie, did you just get her number?" Emmet asked me excitedly. "She could be the one!"

"Shut up, Emmet. She might be, but she might also just be trouble. Every other girl you try to get me with has ended up that way. This is also just her hotel number, not her home number," I pointed out.

"Emmet's right, Edward," Jasper said. "She is the first lady who has approached you and not squealed about who you are."

Jasper made a valid point. Tanya was the first lady to come up to us quietly and politely. Maybe she could be the one. I wasn't going to get my hopes up, though. That would only result in some serious depression later on.

"Edward, you should call her," Jasper told me. "At least go on one date with her. If it doesn't work out, well, then you can call it off and we'll do some more women watching to find someone else."

That sounded good to me. "Alright. I'll do that. I'll give her a call tonight. For now, though, let's just sit here and do some more women watching. Maybe I'll find someone better."


	2. Something Better

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight. Would be nice. I will start updating on Saturdays, just so ya'll know! Thanks for reading!!**

**EPOV**

The day kept dragging on. Not that we didn't have fun women watching. Emmet's reactions to the different ladies were always worth watching. It just felt that all of the ladies who noticed us were giggling or squealing once they realized who I was. It was really getting annoying.

As if he could see my emotions on my face, Jasper said "Edward, just give it a break. Honestly, you are a prince. A very rich prince. Girls assume that giggling is going to catch your attention and keep it."

"Maybe it does catch my attention, but it most defiantly doesn't keep it," I stated rather loudly.

Emmet started laughing. "Eddie, you should really relax a little bit. If you keep yourself from seeing all the pretty ladies, then you won't ever know if something better is going to come along."

It was at that moment that I saw her. Not just her, but HER. The "something better". She was gorgeous. She kept stealing little glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking. When our eyes met, she blushed the most beautiful blush ever.

Jasper looked at me, then shook me a little bit. "Hey man, are you ok? You've been ignoring me for the last several minutes. Where are you?"

I shook my head to clear it. It had been several minutes? "Oh, nowhere. Just sitting here, women watching, you know." My eyes kept going back to her, and it was then that I noticed that she was with two of her friends. While they were pretty, they most defiantly weren't her. Jasper followed my eyes to the girls.

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that? Isn't she just the most beautiful lady that I've ever seen?"

"She is indeed. That beautiful brown hair. It looks so soft. And that blush that she gets when . . ."

Jasper interrupted me. "What do you mean, brown hair? I was talking about the dark haired one. The one with short, spiky hair. Oh man, she is gorgeous!"

Emmet, who had been oblivious to our entire conversation, looked at us like we had lost our minds, then followed our eyes to the girls. "Whoa! She is hot! I have got to get her number!"

Jasper and I started laughing, unable to control it. Before we knew it, everybody close to us was staring because we were laughing so loud. Emmet had still not stopped looking away from the girls, his mouth hanging open with a stupid smile plastered on his face.

"Emmet," I managed to get out between laughs, "you need to close your mouth before a fly gets in." I could hardly get the last couple of words out due to fits of laughter.

When Jasper and I had finally gotten control of ourselves, Emmet had closed his mouth and was glaring at us.

"What's the glare for, Emmet?" I asked.

"I finally figured out that you were laughing at me. It really isn't that funny you know. It's just the truth. She is hot." With that, his face spilt into another stupid grin.

Jasper and I just rolled our eyes. When I looked back up, I realized that the girls were gone. I felt my heart sink into my stomach. I hadn't even found out her name. I realized that I had fallen for her before I even knew her. This wasn't good. I might not even see her again.

Jasper looked at me with the same heartbroken look that I was sure I had. "Where did they go man? We didn't even talk to them."

Emmet just sat there with a look of sadness and frustration on his face. Neither Jasper or I knew what to think of that. Emmet never got that way. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked Emmet.

He just looked up at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen on him. "I just saw the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world, and I didn't talk to her or get her number." He turned to look at me. "And it's all your fault. If you and Jasper hadn't started laughing at me, I would have gotten her name and number, and then we would have also had a way to get in touch with the other two, who I know you were both eyeing."

He had a valid point. There is nothing that could ever stop Emmet from getting a girl's number when he wants it. Oh well. I guess that's my loss. Unfortunately. I could only hope that I would see her again. If I saw her again, I would most defiantly talk to her.

Jasper looked at me. "Edward, I don't know why you look so sad. At least you got one number today. Tanya's. And she was really pretty. So stop looking so gloomy."

I realized that he was right. I did have someone to call tonight to set up a date. Something, however, just didn't feel right about that. I realized that that was stupid. I didn't know the other girl at all, not even her name. I would call Tanya and we would go have a good time later. Surely something good would come of that.


	3. The Best Option

**Disclaimer: Still not owning Twilight. Thanks for reading!**

**EPOV**

When I got home that night, I gave Tanya a call. The phone rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Tanya. This is Edward, the guy you gave your number to at the park earlier this morning," I told her.

"Oh yes, Prince Edward," she replied matter-of-factly.

She knew who I was when she gave me her number? She hadn't acted like she recognized me.

"I'm sure you're surprised that I know who you are. I must say that I'm rather surprised that _you_ don't know who _I_ am," she continued after a couple of minutes.

I was confused. "Should I know who you are?" I asked her hesitantly, not wanting to be rude.

"I would say so. I'll give you a hint. My father is the king of Spain."

Oh. That cleared up a lot of things. She was a princess. Although, I was having a hard time figuring out why I would know her. I could understand why she knew me. After all, every princess wants to marry a prince. It's part of their requirement in order to stay in royalty.

"Oh. You are Princess Tanya," I stated rather lamely. I wasn't sure how to go about our conversation now that I knew who she was.

Tanya started laughing. "Yes, I am Princess Tanya. Now, would you like to go out sometime?" she asked me.

I was floored. She was asking me on a date? This was very wrong and very backwards.

"Tanya, can we start over real quick?" I asked her. "I've always felt that I should be the one asking if you want to go out sometime, not the other way around, with all due respect."

She started laughing again. "Sure then. Prince Edward, I'm Tanya, princess of Spain."

I smiled and shook my head. "Well, Princess Tanya, would you like to go out sometime? Maybe get some coffee tomorrow afternoon?"

There was a slight pause, and then, "I would love to! I'll meet you at the Tomtom Coffee House tomorrow at 1 o'clock. I'll see you then!"

"Alright, I'll see you then. Goodbye Tanya."

She hung up the phone. So, it looks like I have a date tomorrow. I hope that it will go well.

After I put the phone up, I went to lie down. The minute my head hit my pillow, thoughts of that girl popped into my head. Who was she? I had no idea where to even begin on her. She was the most gorgeous person I had ever seen in my entire life. I couldn't help but smile to myself when I remembered how she had blushed when our eyes had met. And her eyes. That was another breathtaking sight. They were the biggest, most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that I had ever seen.

There was a knock on my door. "Come in," I yelled from across the room.

It was my father. I wondered what he would want. Hopefully it wouldn't be about finding a bride.

"Edward, I was just wondering if you had found someone to marry yet," my father stated. He didn't even say hi.

"Well, father, you will be pleased to know that I am going on a date tomorrow with a young lady that I met today. We are going to get coffee at 1 o'clock tomorrow," I told him. I didn't see any point in not telling him.

"Oh? And do tell what her name is?" my father asked, no, more like stated.

"Her name is Tanya, and she lives in Spain," I stated.

My father's face lit up. "Tanya from Spain? Would that be princess Tanya, daughter of one of my dearest friends?"

I didn't know how to react. My father seemed pleased. "I guess so. I didn't realize that you and King Adolfo were good friends. But yes, it is Princess Tanya."

My father smiled and clapped his hands together like a little kid. I had never seen my father act like this. "Oh, this is just wonderful! My son is going to be marrying a princess!"

Whoa, what did he just say? My jaw dropped open as my mind registered what he had just said.

"Father, I didn't say that I was going to marry her. I said that we were going on a date tomorrow so that I could get to know her. Honestly, I didn't even realize that Adolfo had a daughter until today."

My father glared at me. "Did you just say that you weren't going to marry her?"

I stared right back at my father. "Yes sir. I said that we were going on a date. Only a date. Nothing more. If something else comes from it, then so be it, but there is no guarantee that we will get along very well."

My father sighed deeply. "I think that you just need to take your mother's ring to Tanya tomorrow and propose. She really is going to be the best option you will get."

My mind strayed back to the girl I had seen today. If her looks were any indication, Tanya was most defiantly not the best option. I also had to remember that I had no idea who she was or if I would ever see her again. I sighed.

"Father, I will go on the date with her tomorrow. I will not propose to her right away, no matter what. If the time comes that I feel she is the right woman for me, then I will propose. Until then, let me make my own choices. After all, I still have one month to find someone before you start to intervene," I told him.

He just looked at me. "Fine. I don't like your decision, but I won't stop you. Just remember that if you don't have someone in four weeks, I will be choosing."

"Yes, father, I know and understand."

With that he got up and left. I could almost swear that I heard him mumble that Tanya would make a great queen for me under his breath, but I couldn't be positive.

As soon as he shut the door, my mind went back to that girl. I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up, but she had been so lovely. Maybe, just maybe, I would see her again someday before I had to have a bride.


	4. Heir to the Throne

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight.** **Unfortunatly.**

**EPOV**

This was it. I was meeting Tanya for coffee. I could only hope that something good would come out of this situation. It was kind of a lot to hope for in my mind. All I could think about was that girl. I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't know her and that she wasn't the most important thing right now. Tanya was.

When I looked up, I realized that I was at the coffee shop already. I was deciding whether to wait outside for Tanya or to go in a grab us a place to sit when I heard a giggle very close to me. I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes. It was her, and she was walking into the Tomtom Coffee shop! What luck!

"Yoo-hoo, Edward!" I heard a very high voice call. I turned around. It was Tanya. She was wearing a very nice blouse (one that cut a little too low for my liking, however) and a knee-length skirt. She looked very pretty.

I waved. "Hey Tanya. What's up?" What's up? Could I have chosen a more lame line?

She smiled. "Oh, not too much. Just waiting to have coffee with the most handsome man in England. Should we go inside?" she suggested.

Inside. That was where she was. "Yes. Let's go inside. We'll grab a seat, and then we will go and get our coffee." I couldn't help but hope that she was still inside.

It was at that moment that I realized just how wrong this was. I shouldn't be hoping that she was still there. I should be focusing on Tanya. Tanya was the one that I was on a date with. There was just something in my gut that kept telling me that I should pursue that girl. Maybe it was just my mind, but I didn't like to believe that. I liked to believe that it was my heart.

As we entered the coffee shop, I found myself scanning the area for her. That incredible girl. Tanya apparently noticed and grabbed my arm. "Looking for someone, Edward?" She gave me the most innocent look I'd ever seen on a female.

"Uh, no. I was just seeing who was here. Seeing if anyone that I knew had come by today." It was the worst lie I had ever told. Tanya bought it, though.

"Oh, ok. I just wanted to make sure that you only had eyes for me," she said. She giggled then and went to sit down in a booth by the window.

"What would you like, Tanya, and I'll go and get it for you," I offered as sweetly as I could.

"Umm, I think I'll have an iced mocha please," she stated.

"Alright. I'll be right back with that, then," I told her. She smiled at me and pulled out a book from her purse.

I walked up to the counter. "Yes, may I help you?" a young girl asked me. She had a look on her face that told me that she was very much crushing. I smiled.

"Yes, I'd like an iced mocha and a glass of green tea please." She smiled at me a turned around to fill my order. I turned to make sure that Tanya hadn't gotten up and left when I came face to face with her. She was gorgeous.

"Hi," she said. The smell of her as she said hi to me was intoxicating, and I found myself leaning into her.

"Hey," I said back. She giggled and turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Umm, I think your order is ready," she pointed out to me.

I turned around. Sure enough, the cashier was standing there with our drinks, mine and Tanya's. I paid her and turned to head back to our table. Just as I was fixing to walk past her, I turned.

"I know that this is going to sound kind of creepy since I don't really know you, but what's your name?" I asked her.

She giggled. "It's Bella."

Bella. "I'm Edward. It's nice to meet you, Bella," I told her.

She blushed again. "It's nice to meet you, too, Edward."

I headed back to the table. Tanya looked up at me as I sat down her drink. "Who was that? An old friend?" she asked.

It took me a minute to figure out that she was talking about Bella. "Oh, no, she's just a girl that was kind enough to point out that our drinks were ready when I wasn't paying attention," I told her. It was the truth, to a point. She had been kind enough to point out that our drinks weren't ready, but it was because of her intoxicating scent.

"Oh," Tanya said, and then giggled. "I have that effect on men." She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Let her believe that I was staring at her. It would make it that much easier on me if I didn't have to come up with a lie.

"So, Tanya, tell me a little about yourself," I said after I had sat down and enjoyed a drink of my green tea.

She looked up at me. "Well, I was born in Spain, obviously." She smiled. "I am the oldest daughter of Aldolfo. My other two sisters, Kate and Iriana, are both betrothed to princes already. I was the only one who wasn't betrothed." She pouted, and it almost looked cute. Almost. It didn't quite make it because it looked like she was forcing herself to pout. It wasn't becoming of a princess. "Anyways, daddy sends me over here once every couple of months in exchange for not having found me a prince to marry someday. But," she looked up at me with what my mother would have called lover's eyes, "I might have found my prince in you."

I was floored. Might have found her prince in me? Did she think that I would marry her just because she was a princess?

She suddenly looked hurt. "You don't like me? You don't want to marry me?" She started to pout.

Did I say that out loud? I thought that I had kept that to myself. Oh well. "Tanya, I never said that I didn't like you. I just refuse to jump straight into a relationship with anybody, princess or not. And no, at this point, I don't want to marry you. I don't know you well enough in order to marry you. I'm sorry if you don't like that fact, but that's just how it is."

She just looked at me, and then got up, grabbed what was left of her iced mocha, and left. Oh boy. I was sure that my father would hear about this before I even got home. If she was like every other princess that I had ever met, she would be calling daddy as soon as she got back to her hotel room. I was going to be getting it from my father later.

As I was brooding on what my father would have to say about this incident, I noticed that someone had come and sat down in Tanya's recently vacated seat.

"You don't mind if I join you here, do you?" a small but sweet voice asked me.

I looked up and smiled. "Of course not, Bella. Go ahead. It would be nice to have some company that won't get up and stomp off."

She smiled. "That bad, huh? She looked pretty pissed off. What did you do to her?" Bella asked politely.

"Well, I told her that I wouldn't marry her after just one date. Apparently that isn't what she wanted to hear, though," I said with a frown.

"Oh. Well, if a girl expects you to marry her after just one date, then maybe she isn't the right kind of girl for you," Bella stated.

I stared at her. "You're right. I think that I will just forget about it, even though my father is going to be super mad at me."

"Why would your father be mad at you?" Bella asked with a puzzled look on her face. "Why would he be mad that you wanted to take time to get to know a girl before marrying her?"

Should I tell her the truth? I couldn't decide. What could it hurt? I decided that I would tell her the truth. Besides, I was falling hard for her already.

"Well, my father would be very angry because of the fact that Tanya, the girl that just stormed off, is the princess of Spain."

Her eyes got wide. "Oh. Ok. I guess I could see that. But why would it really matter to him?"

"Well, Bella, I'm Prince Edward, heir to the throne of England."


	5. Getting Down to Business

**Disclaimer: Yup, Twilight still isn't mine. Can only take claim to the plot and the idea for this story. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!**

**EPOV**

Bella just looked at me. "Heir to the throne? Really? So, you're a prince?" she asked.

She didn't know who I was? That was really odd. The paparazzi were constantly taking pictures, and I was always plastered on one tabloid or another. "Yeah. You didn't know that?"

She just looked at me. "No. I had no idea. I'm not from here. I'm currently studying abroad here. I live in America," she stated.

"America? I like it there. I've only been there a couple of times, but it's wonderful," I told her. She was intoxicating to be around. Her beauty . . . I couldn't get enough of it.

"Yes. When I had the chance to study abroad in London, I took it. I wasn't going to turn it down, and I was very excited. I've met two of the most wonderful people while I've been here. We've become great friends."

I could tell that she was excited to have someone to talk to about everything. "That's great! Are those the two girls that you were with at Regent's Park yesterday?" I asked her.

She looked at me with a puzzled look. "Yeah, how did you know that we were at Regent's Park yesterday?"

"Well, ever since my father gave me his condition for me to become king, my friends, Emmet and Jasper, have been setting up 'women watching' dates," I told her, putting "women watching" in quotes with my fingers. "We just happened to be at Regent's Park yesterday. I also met Tanya, the girl who just stormed out a little while ago, yesterday." I frowned, thinking about Tanya. I could only hope that she would forget about me.

"Oh. Yeah. Her." She said "her" with such distaste that I could only smile.

"You don't like her? I thought it was improbable, if not impossible, for someone to dislike a person that they don't know," I told her.

"Well, I just don't like the fact that she stormed out on you. She kind of made a big scene about it. That just isn't right. And then you looked so, I don't know, sad about it. I had to come and see if you were alright," she said, then looked up at me. "It's so unlike me to talk to someone that I don't know. I'm not sure why I did." She smiled at me.

I smiled back. I couldn't help it. "Well, I'm very glad that you came over here. I've been wanting to talk to you ever since I saw you yesterday, but I wasn't sure if I'd have the chance to," I admitted to her. Why was I admitting this? She was going to think I was a creeper.

She just blushed. "Well, I'm glad that you were able to have your chance, Edward. Now, I really must be going. I told Alice and Rosalie that I would meet them back on campus about 10 minutes ago. I hope to see you around," she said with a smile.

"I'm glad that I got to meet you, Bella," I told her. "Bella, can I ask you something before you go?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?" she asked. She looked so angelic every time she smiled.

"Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? We could have a picnic at Regent's Park," I suggested.

She looked at me with a slight smile. "Well, I'm not particularly comfortable saying yes to that, especially since I just met you, but how about we do this instead? I'll bring Rose and Alice along with me, and you can bring your two friends with you."

I nodded enthusiastically. I would say yes to anything she suggested if it meant that I would get to spend more time with her. I was falling head-over-heels for her, and I had just met her. "That would be wonderful. How about I'll bring the food and you and your friends can bring drinks?" I asked her.

"Sure, that sounds good. We'll meet you there at noon," she said with a huge smile. "I'll see you then."

I couldn't help but smile as she walked out. She was so beautiful. I realized that I should get home and call Emmet and Jasper to let them know about our lunch date tomorrow. I was positive that they would have no problem with it.

* * *

As soon as I got home, my father was glaring at me. It took me a minute to remember why he would glare at me.

"What were you thinking? You practically tore Tanya's heart out!" he yelled at me.

"Tore her heart out? What did she say happened?" I wasn't really in the mood to deal with this right now. I just wanted to call Jazz and Em over and get ready for tomorrow.

"Her father," he stressed the word, "called me and said that you told Tanya that she was a slut and a whore. He also said that you were considerably rude to her, making her pay for her own drink and forcing her to sit near the window." He was so angry that his entire face had turned bright red.

"Father, let me explain, please. When we got to the coffee shop, she chose the seat by the window. I let her choose. I also paid for her drink. We made small talk, then she started to make comments saying that I was her prince. I apparently let a thought slip that I wouldn't marry her just because she was a princess, and she got angry, loudly saying that I didn't like her. When I tried to explain what I meant to her, she got angry and stormed out of the coffee shop. That's what happened, father." I was frustrated, and this crap with Tanya wasn't helping anything at all.

I could tell that he didn't believe me. His face just kept getting more and more red. "Have I ever lied to you before father?" I asked him.

He just kept glaring at me. "No. But I don't like this. This could cause Aldolfo to forget that we were ever friends and allies. This could be very bad. You need to fix this, Edward. There is nothing that I can do about it."

"I understand, father." And I did understand, all too well. This was his way of making me court Tanya. Maybe I should just wait for her to cool off first, then give her a call. Yes, I decided that was what I would do.

As my father walked off, I headed towards my room to call Jazz and Emmet. When I got to the door of my room, however, I heard COD going. Only one person I knew would get into my video games without permission.

"Edward, how was your date?" Jasper asked from my bed as I walked in. "Was she everything you thought she would be?"

"You have no idea," I told him. When I got a curious look from him, I explained. "She is Princess Tanya from Spain."

The video game suddenly stopped. "Princess of Spain? Are you serious? Your father is probably proud that you found a princess to marry," Emmet said.

"Well, there's the problem," I said, and proceeded to tell them exactly how the date went. "After she stormed out, you'll never guess what happened?"

"What? Did she come back in?" Emmet asked, hopping up and down like a three year old. "Did she throw her coffee in your face?"

Jasper just looked at me. He must have seen the smile on my face. "She was there, wasn't she?"

"Well duh she was there!" Emmet exclaimed. "He went to see her, for crying out loud!"

I just smiled. "Wrong her, Em. You know the her that I saw at Regent's yesterday? She was there. And she came up and talked to me." I could feel my smile growing.

Jasper was smiling just as big as I was. "Who is she?" he asked. I could tell he was honestly curious. Bella was the one link that he had to his dark-haired lady friend that he so adored.

"Her name is Bella, and she is here studying abroad. She is from America/"

"American! Wow, that's even better!" Emmet shouted.

I shushed him. "My father doesn't know about her, so let's keep that between us for now, alright?"

They both nodded. "So, did you get her number?" Emmet wanted to know.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't." They both looked disappointed. "But I got something much better. We are going to lunch with them tomorrow at Regent's Park."

They both smiled great big. "That's great! What time?" Jasper asked.

"Noon, and we are bringing the food. The girls are bringing the drinks."

Emmet was bouncing up and down again. Jasper was smiling like crazy. I was very excited also, but we had to plan.

"Alright guys, so what are we going to bring for the ladies to eat?" I asked, and we got down to business.


	6. Falling for You

**A/N- Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Work and writer's block have killed me. I'll try and update again soon, but no promises! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight.**

**EPOV**

I was really excited. I was actually going to get to spend time with her today. Bella was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life.

We were headed to Regent's Park. Jazz had suggested that we bring chicken, and Emmet suggested that we bring pizza. When we couldn't reach a decision, we decided that we would take both, and they would both be homemade. The girls were going to love it. I had decided that we needed desert also, so I made a chocolate cake. It was going to be a great picnic.

When we arrived at Regent's Park, it was 11:45. We had fifteen minutes to set everything up before the girls got there. We started making our way through the trees to our spot when I saw that the girls had beat us. They were in our spot, and they had already had everything set up. As we approached them, Bella waved, and I was breathless. She looked gorgeous.

"You ladies seem to have had the same idea that we had today," I said.

Bella just smiled. "Well, actually, Alice here was so excited to meet new people that she couldn't wait a minute past 11:40 to get here. We had to talk her down from 11:15." Bella laughed and the dark-haired one, Alice, laughed with her.

"Never miss the opportunity. You never know who you'll meet. You just might meet royalty or something," she stated.

Had Bella told her that I was heir to the throne of England? Or did she already know? I couldn't decided if Bella would be the type of person who would just spill that secret right away. I guess it didn't really matter anyways. If Alice didn't already know, she would figure it out soon enough.

"Well, ladies, are you ready to eat?" Jasper asked. He was acting very calm and cool, but I could tell that he was very happy to be here. He was practically thinking that Alice was the perfect person for him, and she had only said one thing. He was that easy to read.

"Yes! Most defiantly," Alice said. She was jumping up and down like a little kid about to get ice cream.

We all laughed. "We brought sodas and," Bella reached into her bag, "a bottle of wine. Rose suggested that it can't hurt to ever have a bottle of wine."

Rose smiled. "That's my type of woman!" Emmet said very loudly.

Rose just smiled bigger. "You have no idea," she stated, and Emmet turned red. "By the way, I'm Rosalie."

Bella looked shocked. "I'm so sorry. I didn't introduce you. Rose, Alice, this is Edward. Edward, this is Rosalie and Alice," she said, pointing to each in turn.

"Nice to meet you, Rosalie and Alice. This is Jasper, Emmet, and I'm Edward." I extended my hand out. "Jasper, Emmet, this is Bella." They both smiled.

"So, what did you guys bring to eat?" Rosalie said. Bella looked up expectantly, and I was surprised to see that she was blushing ever so slightly. It was beautiful.

Emmet answered for us. "Well, we made chicken and pizza for lunch."

"Made? Like, from scratch?" Alice asked. She had a look of joy on her face. "You guys actually cook?"

Emmet looked hurt. "You don't think I can cook?"

"We know you can't, Em," Jasper stated coolly.

"Hey!" We all started laughing. "I'll show you. You guys are going to love what I made. And I won't tell you what it is until you've tried a little bit of everything. We'll see if you can tell what I made."

The girls smiled. "Alright. You're on," Alice said.

We dug into the food then. As we ate, we discussed everything.

"So, where are you ladies from?" Jasper asked. Alice giggled.

"Well, Bella here is from America, here for study abroad. Bella is my cousin, which is why she decided on coming here instead of going somewhere like Spain or Italy. Rosalie is . . ."

Rosalie cut her off. "I'm from here, but not London. Southampton, to be precise. I'm here for school." Alice gave her a little glare, then smiled great big again. I could tell that Alice was a very happy person.

"So, how did the three of you meet?" Bella asked.

"Well, Jasper and I are cousins. Emmet and I met during our sophomore year at Oxford. For some reason unknown to me," I rolled my eyes dramatically, "we became best friends."

"You know, Eddie, the gods were really looking out for you when we became friends," Emmet said, then started laughing.

"How about the three of you? How did you guys meet?"

"Well," Bella began, but was abruptly cut off by Alice.

"We met during school here. Bella is here studying abroad, as we've already said, and I had class with her. She looked lonely, so I asked her to hang out."

"No, Alice, you asked me to go shopping," Bella said, looking at Alice, "and when I politely tried to turn you down because I hate shopping and don't have enough bag space to take more back to the States with me, you practically forced me to go."

I started laughing, I couldn't help it. Bella looked at me with a curious glance, then she began laughing, too. Soon we were all rolling around, laughing so hard tears were starting.

"I'm sorry about that," I said. "For some reason that was just beyond funny. The look you gave Alice," I attempted to copy the look of annoyance that Bella had given her, "and the look you received back," as I attempted to copy the look of shock on Alice's, "were just too funny." We all started laughing again.

Once we all calmed down enough to breath, Bella continued. "While Alice was dragging me through the mall, she got a call from Rosalie, and she joined us. Rose and Alice have been friends for a while, and they just accepted me right away. It was really nice."

I smiled. I was happy that she could have such a great experience in my country.

By this time, we had finished lunch. The girls were starting to clean up when I remembered the chocolate cake. "Hey, we also brought desert."

"Ooo, what kind?" Rosalie asked. "I hope it's good. Surely it has to be better than the pizza we ate," she said, giving Emmet a wink.

"Hey, that's not fair. That pizza was delicious, and you darn well know it!" he said, and crossed his arms with a pout.

"Yes, it's better than the pizza, but what chocolate cake isn't?" I said.

"Chocolate cake, my favorite!" Bella exclaimed.

I had made her favorite dessert. That was great! I couldn't believe that I would have such great luck.

The chocolate cake was soon gone, not even the crumbs were left.

"This was great," Bella said.

"Yes, lots of fun. We should do it again sometime," Alice suggested.

Jasper's face lit up. "Yes, we should most defiantly do it again. How about we all exchange numbers and then we'll plan something together later when we aren't all digesting?"

"Sounds great!" Alice said, and proceeded to hand out her number, along with Bella's and Rosalie's. Emmet gave the girls our numbers.

"So, if you don't hear back from us soon, it means we decided that you weren't worth our time," Rosalie said, smiling.

"Oh, I know you would never think of me as a waste of time," Emmet said cockily.

"We'll see," she replied back.

"I have homework I need to get done before tomorrow. We'll see you guys around!" Bella said.

"Bye! It was nice meeting all of you," Jasper stated before the girls turned around and left.

"Well, what do you guys think?" I asked them once the girls were out of hearing distance.

"They are amazing, and I can't wait until we get together again," Emmet said. The look on Jasper's face said that he thought the same thing.

"Bella would be a good fit for your queen," Jasper stated out of the blue. "She is perfect for you."

My eyes lit up. "You really think so? I want to ask her, but I'm afraid that she'll freak out and say no," I admitted.

"Dude, did you see the way she looked at you? She was staring at you the entire time!" Emmet said.

"He's right, Edward. She is obviously falling for you," Jasper added.

"Well, we'll see. I can't promise anything yet. After all, I still have to straighten out the crap with Tanya."


	7. Buckingham Palace

**Sorry it's a little on a short side this time. But it's from Bella's POV. Enjoy!! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

**BPOV**

As we started walking away, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Edward was the nicest guy I'd ever met. I could tell that Alice and Rose felt the same way about the other two guys, although neither of them would ever admit it.

"We need to start planning our next excursion with the boys," Alice stated. "We could go to the Dungeons or to Benjamin Franklin's house or . . ." Alice was going on and on when Rosalie interrupted her.

"Alice, calm down. You don't know if the guys even want to truly do something. Wait until they call us to start planning." Rosalie sent a small, but not too serious, glare at Alice.

I smiled, knowing that Alice would have every detail of our next meeting with Edward, Jasper, and Emmet planned out before anyone even picked up the phone. There was no stopping Alice.

"Rose, you know they will call. You saw the way that Edward was looking at Bella," Rosalie nodded, "not to mention the looks that Emmet was throwing your way." Alice smirked, knowing she was right.

I felt the color rush into my face. "Alice, I'm pretty sure that you just want an excuse to see Jasper again. Don't think I didn't see the looks you were shooting his way."

Alice looked at me with a small, mischievous smile. "I also saw the looks you were throwing at Edward."

I looked down quickly. I had made sure to look at Edward only when nobody was watching. I should have known better with Alice. She was just smiling, seeing my thoughts on my face.

As we headed home, we all fell into our own thoughts. Mine revolved around Edward. Alice and Rose seemed to have no idea who he was. I couldn't help but wonder if he really was the heir to the throne of England. It would be cool, but who would believe me if I told them that I personally knew the prince of England? I realized that I didn't care if he was or not. He was sweet and kind.

When I looked up and Rosalie and Alice, I realized that I hadn't actually told them that Edward was the prince. It wasn't my secret to tell, though. I was sure that they would figure it out on their own. After all, they both lived here. Surely I wouldn't know something that they didn't know about their own country.

My thoughts of Edward led me to thoughts of that one girl. Edward had said she was the princess of Spain. Tanya. I was surprised at the amount of anger that I felt at the thought of her name. She had been so rude to Edward, and for no reason at all. How could you be so rude to someone who was so nice? I didn't understand at all how she could act that way. A princess would surely act more appropriate than that in public. It was mind-boggling.

My mind went back to what he had said about her. She had gotten angry at him because he wouldn't promise to marry her. My stomach sank. She wanted him, too, and she was much more pretty than I was. I knew that she would get Edward, not me. Why wouldn't she? I had nothing on her.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Alice had stopped walking and was looking at me with concern.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how I met Edward." Not to mention the stupid witch that had acted so rudely towards him.

"And that makes you sad?" Rosalie asked. Rose saw too much, even though she didn't seem to care very often.

"No, but something about it does." That girl. Tanya. My mind sneared her name. I started to explain everything to them about Tanya, but decided against it. "It's nothing, really."

"Oh, alright," Rosalie said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Alice wasn't so cool about it. "No. Not alright. What's upsetting you, Bella? It's not O.K.," Alice demanded.

I just looked at her. _It's not my secret,_ I reminded myself. I sighed. "I'll tell you if it ever starts to matter, alright?"

Alice just looked at me with a look of resignation. She would deal with it. Then she smiled at me. "Ooo, great idea! We could go to Buckingham Palace with the guys!" she squealed.

I smiled, knowing that would be the most interesting, and slightly ironic, event ever.


	8. Apologies

**Sorry for the long update time. I'll try to update more often, and try to make the chapters longer, too! Enjoy!!**

**EPOV**

After we had gotten back to the palace after lunch, my mind kept straying back to Bella. Was that short for something, or was it just Bella?

Emmet and Jasper had just left, claiming that they had things to do. I couldn't help but think that they were doing something very similar to what I was doing at the moment, thinking about the girls.

I smiled, lost in my thoughts about Bella, when the phone rang. I jumped up to get it, hoping it would be Bella. _Isabella_, my mind whispered. I pushed the thought away.

"Hello? Bella?" I asked, excited to be talking to her again.

"Who is Bella?" Tanya asked. "I don't know any Bella. All I know is that we need to talk, Edward."

My stomach dropped. I had completely forgot about the whole Tanya issue that I had to fix. "Oh. Hey Tanya. What is it that we need to talk about?" I said as politely as I could.

"Well, I'd really rather talk in person, but that really isn't possible right now because I just got back to Spain. Anyways, I want an apology from you."

I was getting more and more angry by the second. "An apology?" I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. "Why should I apologize to you? You were the one who stormed out of the coffee shop on me."

"Yeah, and that matters why? The problem is that you didn't come after me to make sure that I was alright, and then, to make matters worse, you completely forgot about me when that girl came up to talk to you. Is that Bella? Your precious Bella that you seemed to be so happy to talk to?" Tanya asked in a thoroughly pissed off tone.

My mind was reeling. This was about Bella? I didn't even know that she knew about Bella. "Tanya, when you left, she came up to me to make sure that I was alright. She apparently isn't the type of person who likes seeing someone else ditched by their date in such a dramatic way."

Tanya scoffed at me. "Oh, so that was just comfort? I see. So, she had to comfort you again today at Regent's Park? I get it," she said.

"How did you know that I was at Regent's Park today?" I was fuming now. "Are you spying on me or something?"

"Well, you see, I don't want my future _husband_ to be flirting around with every girl who tries to _comfort_ him."

"Future husband? Tanya, let me explain something to you. I understand that you are the princess of Spain, and the only one who doesn't have someone to marry yet. I'm not going to marry you. I told you that when we went out. I won't marry someone who I don't know." I wasn't sure how I was going to get the point across to her that I was interested in someone else without causing issues between Spain and England.

Tanya seemed suddenly calm. "Alright. I get it. Then we'll get to know each other, although, I already know everything about you."

Had she been spying on me the whole time? Is that how I had originally ended up with her phone number in the first place?

"Tanya, I don't know how to tell you this," I took a deep breath, "but I don't really want to get to know you." There, I said it.

There was total and complete silence on the other end of the phone. Then, after what seemed like forever, Tanya spoke again. "I get it, Edward. I'll just back off then. It's obvious that you want Bella over me. I'll take a hint. Goodbye Edward." She hung up the phone.

I hung up the phone gently. She was just going to give up? That seemed unlikely, but that was what she had said. I smiled, knowing that Bella would be my wife in the future, if she liked me as much as the guys said she did. But somewhere in the pit of my stomach, I couldn't help but worry about Bella. I wasn't sure why, but it was there.

I shook off that thought. Suddenly, I remembered what I had been thinking about before Tanya had called. Some thought that my mind had whispered. _Isabella_. What was that all about?


	9. Surprise!

**So, sorry about not updating in forever. I'm not going to make excuses, but here's the next chapter. I'm going to try super hard to update at least once a week, but no promises. Enjoy!**

EPOV

I woke up to my phone ringing. Groggily, I turned my head towards the window. Sunlight was pouring in. Sunlight? When had I fallen asleep? Turning away from the window, I reached for my phone. "Hello?"

"Good morning Edward!" an annoyingly cheerful voice said.

"Morning. Who is this?" The minute I asked it, I knew the answer to my question.

"This is Alice. I told you that I'd call when we figured something out. I just didn't figure that you would still be sleeping right now." She giggled.

"Oh. Ok. Well, what's the plan, then?" I was starting to wake up. The thought of seeing Bella today made everything seem perfect.

"It's a surprise. I need you . . ."

"Wait, a surprise?" I interrupted her. "Why a surprise?"

She sighed. "Because I said so. Now, I need you, Jazzie, and Emmet to meet us at Regent's Park at noon so that we can show you our plans."

Jazzie? Wow, those two must be doing pretty good if she's already got a nickname for her. I rolled my eyes. I knew that it was no use arguing with her. "Alright. We'll be there."

"Ok. See you then!" She hung up the phone.

I put my phone down. It was a beautiful day. I could see that from the sunlight pouring in from the window. As I sat up, I tried to remember when I had fallen asleep. I remembered getting a call from Tanya . . .

My stomach dropped. Bella. Was she alright? She had to be. We were meeting at noon. Then I remembered that Tanya had called to apologize. What was I worried about? I looked towards the clock. It was already 10 o'clock. I had to call Jasper and Emmet. We had to be on time.

As I started to dial Emmet's number, my door was abruptly thrown open.

"Eddie!" Emmet yelled. "Why aren't you ready yet? Don't you know that we have a date at noon to be at?"

I just stared at him. "How did you know about that? I was fixing to call you to tell you about it."

"That little girl, the pixie, called me this morning," he said. "I knew that . . ."

Emmet was cut off by a pillow hitting his face. "She is NOT a pixie," Jasper snarled.

Emmet just looked at him. "Ooo, someone's over protective of his girl," Emmet taunted.

Jasper lunged for him. Emmet smoothly side-stepped him. "I didn't mean it that way, Jazz. It was just a description. I just wanted to make sure that Eddie here knew who I was talking about."

Jasper visibly relaxed. "Oh, I see where you're coming from now. Edward probably did need the reminder."

I was confused. "I know who Alice is, Jazzie. Why wouldn't I?"

Emmet started laughing his booming laugh. "Jazzie! I love it! Where did you get that one from, Eddie?"

I just smiled and looked as Jasper. He looked as confused as I had felt earlier. Then he just smiled real big. "Ah, I see. That's a new one, but I think that I might like it coming from her mouth," Jasper said. "Anyways, you did need the reminder."

"Why would I need a reminder about who she is?" I asked, honestly perplexed.

"Well, you're so stuck on Bella that we weren't sure that you knew the other two girls," Jasper stated in his mater-of-fact way. "You never take your eyes off of her."

I didn't stare at Bella that much, did I? I did know who the other two girls were, after all. "Guys, I don't stare at Bella very often. Just . . . a lot . . . I guess." They started laughing. "But in my defense, I do know who Alice and Rosalie are."

After a while, they started to calm down enough to talk again. "Ok. As long as you know them, too, Eddie boy," Emmet stated.

I rolled my eyes. They would never change their views. "Well, let me get ready to go so we can meet them on time."

* * *

We arrived at the park at 11:50. The girls weren't there yet.

"Whoa. Did we beat them here?" Emmet asked in awe. "I didn't think that anyone could be that pixie anywhere."

"Technically, yes you did," said Rosalie from behind us, "but it's not noon yet, so we are still on time."

Emmet flipped around so fast that he fell down. "Rosalie! You sure are quiet, and, I must say, rather good looking today!" he said, looking up at her with the biggest grin ever plastered on his face.

Everyone was laughing now. Rosalie was trying to glare at him, but her laughing was not helping the matter. She reached out her hand to help him up, and before she knew what was happening, Emmet had pulled her down on top of him.

"Let me go! Let me go right now, Emmet!" Rosalie yelled.

Everyone was laughing, except for Rosalie, who was kicking at Emmet, who finally let her go.

When we had all calmed down, Alice stated very suddenly, "We would have been earlier, but Rosalie here had to redo her make up before we could leave." She threw a quick glare at Rose.

With a smile, I glanced over at Bella. She was smiling, but beneath the smile she looked very anxious. Suddenly the forgotten feeling of worry for her was back full force.

"Bella, are you alright?" I asked, walking towards her while trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

She looked up at me, startled out of her thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

I had my doubts, but let it drop. If she wanted to talk to me about it, she would when she was ready. I let my thoughts turn to Alice. "So, Alice, would you like to share the surprise with us all now?" I asked her.

Alice was so excited she was bouncing up and down. "Yes!" she squealed. Jasper smiled at her. "I was wondering which one of you would ask first and how long it would take for you to ask me! We're going to my favorite place in all of England! We're going to Buckingham Palace!"

My stomach dropped suddenly. Well, that explained the anxiety on Bella's face. I looked at Jasper and Emmet for support. Their eyes were as wide as mine were. What was I going to do?


	10. Complications

**So, here's a quick update for ya'll! Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!**

EPOV

My mind was reeling. What could I do? I could see the same question plastered on Jazz and Em's faces. I glanced at Bella. She caught my eyes and gave me an apologetic look. I looked away.

"So, when are we leaving?" Jasper asked. He had obviously regained his composure.

Alice was still jumping up and down. "Let's go! I've already got the reservation, and if we don't leave now, we're going to be late!"

As we headed for the palace, I was starting to figure out how to handle the situation.

* * *

When we arrived, we were greeted by the guards. Jimmy, one of the guards that I had come to be good friends with, raised his eyebrows at me.

"Hey," Jimmy started. My look must have tipped him off, and he stopped what he was saying. He gave me a questioning look, and I tried to give him a look that said I'd explain everything later. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hi!" Alice exclaimed, thinking that Jimmy was talking to all of us. "We have a reservation for Alice at 12:30 for a tour of the palace."

Jimmy looked at her. I could see him checking her out, and the worry started again, but for Jasper this time. This would only end badly if Jasper noticed Jimmy's wandering eyes. Thankfully, he didn't. "Well, ma'am, if you'll come right this way . . ." His voice trailed off. I couldn't figure out why until I noticed that he was staring at Bella. She was totally oblivious to his stares.

I started to glare at Jimmy about the time he got himself together. "We will get your tour underway," he finished.

He turned to lead us into the palace. Against my will, my anger was building, and if I didn't calm down, I would punch him in the face. Why was he staring at my Bella? She was beautiful, yeah, but she wasn't there for someone to stare at.

As we entered the palace, I was starting to feel pretty good about pulling this off. After all, I could show my awe just as much as anyone else.

My thoughts were interrupted by Bella's hand sliding into my own. "Hey. How are you liking the palace?" I asked her with a smile.

She smiled up at me. "It's good. I really like it, but it's nothing compared . . ." She suddenly stopped and the gorgeous blush that I loved spread across her face.

"What? Compared to what?" I asked her. Her blush deepened even more as she shook her head. This was going to drive me crazy if she didn't tell me. I'd just have to remember to ask her later.

As I looked up from Bella, my stomach started fluttering with nerves. I looked away quickly as our tour guide excitedly announced, "What a treat for you all today! The king himself!"

Father looked up at this announcement, looking surprised that he had stumbled onto a tour group. As the tour guide bowed and Alice jumped up and down uncontrollably, his eyes narrowed. "Edward," he stated simply.

I slowly looked up, knowing the game was up. So much for playing it off as any other person. Alice squealed and Rosalie's eyes got wide as they put the facts together.

"Are we entertaining our friends, son?" he asked. Then his eyes narrowed even more dangerously. "What happened to Tanya, Edward?" he asked with a false pleasure. "You said that you were very happy with her."

Bella looked at me with a hurt expression. "Edward? You told me that you didn't like her after the coffee shop incident at all."

"Bella, I'm so sorry. My father seems to have the wrong idea about . . ."

She interrupted me before I had a chance to finish. Her face was very red. "About what? About us? About how you feel about Tanya? Edward, forget it. I'm gone." With that she turned and stormed off out of the palace.

I felt horrible. I had to tell her the truth, how I really felt. "Bella!" I yelled after her. She kept walking, so I started after her. "Bella, stop!"

Alice grabbed my arm. "Edward, what's going on? We know you are the prince, but you need to tell us the whole story while she cools off."

I sighed and glanced at my father. He smirked at me, then walked off in the direction that he had come from. I saw red and started after him in anger. It turns out that Alice was pretty strong, especially with Rosalie's help. "Alright. Let's go to my room and I'll tell you the whole story."

Jasper and Emmet quickly filled in the spaces right behind the girls, who still had a hold on my arms, just in case I decided to take off after my father again. I lead them quickly to my room so we could talk. As I explained the whole story to them, from my father's conditions about the throne to Tanya's apology the night before, I couldn't help but worry about Bella. Would she make it home alright? Did she know which areas of London to stay away from at night?

When I voiced my concerns, Alice calmed my worries. "She'll be fine. She's just upset, and for good reasons. I'll tell you what, Edward. Rose and I will go home and wait for Bella to get back. When she get's there, I'll call you to let you know that she is safe. We'll think about a way to fix this while we wait. You three also try to figure something out. It'll be fin, I promise."

I was still worried, but there was nothing else for me to do. I would just wait for Alice to call and try to think of a way out of this mess.


	11. Plans & Disappointments

**Hey guys! So, this is in Alice's POV, something new. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

APOV

As I headed home to wait for Bella, I couldn't help but smile at how Edward was acting. I knew that he was in love with Bella, and I also knew that she loved him, even if she didn't know it yet, or wouldn't admit it. They were so cute together! That thought made me squeal, and Rosalie glanced at me.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. "Plans for your future wedding?" She smirked at the thought, knowing that it was entirely possible.

I just smiled. "No, that would elicit more than just a squeal, and you know it. I was actually thinking about how cute Bella and Edward are together."

Rose shook her head. "What are we going to do, Alice?" she asked, bringing me back from my plans for Bella's wedding (I blamed Rose for those thoughts). "Edward's a prince, Bella's just an ordinary girl." I tossed her a glare, and she interrupted me before I could get started on her. "Chill out. I didn't mean anything by it. But it's obvious that Edward's father doesn't want Edward to marry any other girl besides Tanya." She sneered the name.

I sighed as wedding plans totally disappeared from my mind. "Yeah. I'm not sure what to do about that yet. It does complicate things a bit. Who does this Tanya girl think she is anyways?" I asked as I unlocked our door.

Rose headed to the computer. "She's obviously someone that means business when it comes to getting Edward. I mean, come on, she had him followed. I guess that being a princess has its own perks." She sighed heavily. "Alice, what has Bella done? She doesn't know the whole story, and she thinks that Edward has been playing her this whole time."

"She just needs to cool off a bit. Once she's calmed down, she'll see that she overreacted. Everything will work out . . ." My voice trailed off. "Rose, are you almost done with the computer?"

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I just got started. Why? What do you need?"

As I explained my idea to her, she started to smile. "Alice, you are brilliant. I only hope that you're right," she said as she pulled up the Google home page.

I smiled back at her. "You know, I have a good feeling about this."

* * *

It took all afternoon for us to find what we were looking for, but we finally found it.

"Alice, have I told you that you are genius? That was the craziest, most brilliant idea, but it works. I don't see how the king could find any loopholes in this," Rosalie stated.

"I can't believe that I was right," I exhaled. I hadn't realized that I'd been holding my breath. "Totally insane."

We were both very excited. As we were congratulating each other, I noticed that it was dark outside. I glanced at the clock. It was almost 9:30.

"Rose, Bella is never gone this late without one of us with her." I was starting to worry.

Rose looked at me. "She was upset. She probably just needed some extra time to coll down. I'm sure that she's headed home by now."

"Maybe. I'm going to go look for her. She at least needs to know what we found out!" I was still very excited, even with the worry for Bella.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. I'll stay here in case she shows up. I'll call you if she does."

"Okay. I'll call with updates as they happen." I walked out of the house.

I figured that I'd walk my way around the block, slowly working my way out. After about three blocks away from the house, I started to get seriously worried. _This is stupid, _I told myself. _Nothing is wrong. Stop looking down every alley for Bella. She knows better than to walk down a dark alley at night._ As I turned my head away from the alley on my right, I heard a moan. I quickly started down the alley, worry and panic overriding common sense about dark alleys. What if it was Bella? What if something had happened to her? I would never be able to forgive myself for not letting Edward follow her.

I started running, panic full scale by now. About half way down the alley I could see something that looked like a body. I slowed down, then upon further panic attacks, I sprinted the rest of the way. I fell to my knees.

"Bella! Bella! Please wake up! Oh, Bella, please!" She was laying in garbage, and she looked like someone who'd run into the wrong people. "Bella! Please! Say something!" I was crying uncontrollably.

As I started reaching for my phone to call Edward, she turned her head to me. "Alice," she whispered. "Tell Edward that I love him, and . . . and . . . that I'm sorry," she choked out. Then her head fell to the side.

"Bella!" I screamed. I'd never dialed any number so fast as I dialed Edward's.


	12. Old Friends and New Enemies

**Here's the latest from the search for Edward's Queen. Enjoy!**

**EPOV**

I was so worried. Bella was currently in the best care possible, but I didn't know if she was going to be alright. She hadn't come out of the coma that she had fallen into after Alice had found her.

I found myself smiling at the thought of Alice. While the situation had been very serious, she hadn't even thought to call an ambulance. She had only thought about calling me. I'd have to ask her about that later, if I remembered. It still didn't make any sense to me.

I heard a noise from across the waiting room. Visiting hours were long over, but I couldn't bring myself to leave Bella. I looked up, hoping that it would be Bella's doctor. Instead, however, I saw Tanya.

"Why, what a surprise. What are you doing here, Edward?" she asked very sweetly. I just glared at her. "Alright then. How is Bella doing?"

Bella. She knew about Bella. I voiced my thoughts. "How did you know about Bella, Tanya?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Edward, you are the prince of England. Who doesn't know about your girlfriend?" she said, making sure to drive the last word a little deeper than the rest. "It's all over the news, dear."

Everyone knew? How did I not realize that everyone knew? I usually kept up with the tabloids. I hadn't even realized that people knew about Bella. I looked up and noticed a stand with some newspapers and magazines on it. I walked over to it. Looking down at the table, I saw three different pictures of Bella and I. That was just on the top layer. I grabbed up the first one.

The tabloid was large and obnoxious. "Prince Edward has New Consort." I rolled my eyes and flipped to the story. "Prince Edward has been very busy trying to find a future wife," I read.

_When his father put up the ultimatum for Prince Edward to find a queen within one month, many girls were screaming, hoping to catch Edward's attention. Unfortunately for all of them, Edward seems to have made his choice. _

_Her name is Bella Swan, an exchange student from the United States of America. She came to London as a chance to experience the world outside of her country. Apparently, she's been on quite a journey._

I stopped reading and put down the magazine. I was shocked. I must have been more into Bella than I thought, missing all of those articles. It made me wonder what father thought. I was sure that he would tell me later, if he got the chance to. It also made me wonder why Jasper and Emmet hadn't noticed the tabloids, either.

When I looked back up from the table, I noticed that Tanya had come closer to me. "Why are you here, Tanya? Seriously."

Tanya sighed. "Edward, I care about you deeply. I know how you feel about Bella, and while I'm not happy that you chose her over me, I came to see how she's doing, make sure that she will be alright."

I nodded. "Thank you, Tanya. I really do appreciate it. She will be fine. She's currently in a coma, and the doctors don't know what's going to happen yet, but I just know that she will be fine." I sighed. "She has to be."

Tanya smiled a small, sad smile. "Alright. Would you like for me to keep you company for a while, or would you like some alone time?"

"I think I need to be alone for a while," I told her. "But thank you for coming to see how she is. It really does mean a lot to me."

She just nodded, then walked out. I shook my head. Maybe Tanya wasn't as bad as I thought she was. And while she was no Bella, she was pretty.

I started pacing, thinking constantly about Bella. Father wasn't going to be pleased when I proposed to Bella, but I wasn't sure how he was going to react. It couldn't end well, though. I knew that much.

"Edward. I need to talk to you for a moment please," Dr. Carlisle said from behind me. "It's about Bella."

"Is she alright? Did she wake up? Is something wrong?" The words were spilling out of my mouth faster than I had time to think. I kept thinking of the worst possible thing that could have happened.

Dr. Carlisle smiled. "Edward, she's alright. She wants to talk to you."

I got dizzy. She was awake? She wanted to talk to me? "She's awake now?" I asked, trying to sort through my thoughts.

"Yes, she's awake, and everything looks fine. She asked to speak to you, and I figured that it would be better to allow her to talk to you than to ignore her requests."

"Thank you so much." I couldn't say anything else as I headed towards Bella's room.

As I walked in, I couldn't help but smile. "Hey beautiful." I cringed, knowing how cheesy I sounded.

Bella blushed. "Hey Edward." She smiled at me. Then she frowned. "Are you alright? You look like you've been to hell and back."

I let out the breath that I didn't realize I'd been holding. Typical Bella, thinking about someone besides herself, and she was the one in the hospital bed with tubes and needles attached everywhere. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright now. How about you? Are you feeling alright? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"Yeah, it hurts a little bit. Edward, what exactly happened? I remember that I got angry and left, and I remember running into that guard that led us into the palace, but I don't remember a whole lot after that."

Jimmy. If he was involved in this, I would kill him. "Honey, do you remember Alice finding you?" She shook her head at me, slightly confused. Well, damn, maybe she didn't mean those things then. "Well, when you weren't home, Alice went looking for you. She found you laying in a pile of trash just a couple of blocks from the house. I think that you were headed home after cooling off."

Recognition dawned on her face. "Oh, yeah. I remember heading home. I kept thinking how stupid I was for running off like that without talking to you first. I remember thinking," she stopped and blushed. "Well, thinking that I loved you and that I knew that you wouldn't play me like other guys would. Then I ran into that guard. He offered to walk me home because he recognized me from the palace. He said that it was dangerous to walk around London at night. So I accepted his offer.

"He was really sweet, walking me home like that. We had a good conversation. He asked what I thought about London, and we talked a little about you. Then, when I realized that we should be pretty close to home, I realized that it was starting to get dark. He grabbed my arm really hard and pulled me into an alley. I was scared, Edward, so scared. I asked him what he was doing, but he wouldn't answer me until we got into a really dark part of the alley. He looked at me with dead serious eyes and said 'No one messes with Tanya and gets away with it.' The he hit me, hard, in the stomach. It hurt so bad. I couldn't breathe. When I looked up, he hit me again and again. The last thing I remember is lying on the ground in pain and looking up. I saw Tanya smiling down at me. She said 'Edwards mine, and I always get what I want.' She looked really mean. Then I blanked out."

Tanya. Tanya and Jimmy. This was too much. She had gone entirely too far. Bella was crying silent tears. I gathered her in my arms as best as I could. "It's alright, it'll be ok. We'll get this taken care of. Shh, shh, don't cry, honey. I promise that I'm going to take care of it." When she finally calmed down, she looked up at me.

"Edward, I'm sorry about running off. It's all my fault." She was beating herself up over this whole situation worse than Alice was. She sighed, trying to get control of herself. "And Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"I love you."

My heart swelled with joy. "I love you too, Bella."


	13. Reassurance and Worry

**I'm sorry that I haven't updated in forever! I got stuck with writer's block, but in order to make it up a little bit, I'm posting two chapters at the same time! Please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

**EPOV**

Bella was sleeping, and I was running on very little sleep and lots of worry. I knew that Carlisle would take good care of her and that nothing would happen to her under his care. As I walked out of the hospital, Alice was there to meet me.

"Edward, how is she?" she asked. Then she looked at me with a frown. "You look awful. You need sleep and a new change of clothing. A shower would probably do you some good also."

I started laughing. I was so tired that I couldn't help it. Alice looked at me, then started laughing with me. "Alice, you never cease to amaze me. Bella is doing great. She's sleeping right now and Carlisle told me that there were no visitors allowed until she wakes up. He told me that I was to leave and get some sleep, doctor's orders." I sighed. "I really don't want to leave her here now that I know what happened."

Alice looked at me. "I'll stay with her. What did happen?"

"Tanya happened. And she had help from someone that I thought I could trust." Just thinking about it made me angry. I took a deep breath.

"Tanya? This was her doing?" Alice's face was turning red. "She was the one who beat Bella to a pulp? Oh, I'm going to kill her."

Alice was shaking with anger by now. I grabbed her arm. "Alice, it wasn't Tanya that did it to her, although she was the one who planned it all out. It was Jimmy, the guard that greeted us on our tour of the palace. He met Bella that night and offered to escort her home. Obviously, she didn't make it."

"But he was so nice! The sweetest guy . . ." Alice looked confused. "I thought he was your friend, Edward."

"He was. I trusted him. He knew everything about me. I guess that Tanya is more important than trust, though. I will need to talk to father about this as soon as I can. It could be more serious than just this incident with Bella." I shuddered to think about what information Jimmy could have been passing to Tanya and to her father. "That might also explain all the tabloids. If he'd do anything for Tanya, I'm sure he'd do anything for some money also."

"What tabloids? I haven't seen any, and I keep up with them daily," Alice said. "I haven't checked today's tabloids, though. I guess that could explain it." I just smiled.

"Yeah. There were tabloids about Bella and my decision to court her. I didn't read anything past the first paragraph or so. It sounded like crap. But I didn't want to tell Bella about it yet. I'm not sure that she's up to it."

"She's not going to be happy to be left out of this notice, Edward. I know her, she is going to be angry."

"She'll just have to get over it. I don't want her to worry about it. I'll tell her when she gets better. I promise."

Alice sighed. "Alright. I'll agree with you for now. Go home and get some sleep. I'll stay here and call you when she wakes up. Okay?"

I smiled. "Thank you, Alice. I really do appreciate it. I'll talk to you later."

"Don't mention it. And Edward?" I turned around. "Make sure you change your clothes."

* * *

As I got home, my first thought was of getting a shower and making myself look presentable for talking to father. On my way to my room, my mother stopped me.

"Edward, I'm so happy that you finally decided on someone to court! When do I get to meet this American girlfriend of yours?" She smiled at me.

"Mother, I don't know when you'll get to meet her. She's currently . . . under the weather for a while. As soon as she gets better, I'll bring her to meet you." Mother squealed in excitement. I smiled. She was so like Alice. "Well, I'm going to get cleaned up and go talk to father. I have some things to discuss with him."

Mother glanced at me. "Oh, yes, by the way, he wants to see you right now. He said it was very important, and he couldn't find Jimmy to give you the message. So I volunteered to let you know. He's up in his chambers."

I sighed. This couldn't be good if he was summoning me. "Alright. Thank you, mother. I will head right up there." I groaned internally. I was not presentable. I guess he'd just have to get over it.

As I headed toward my father, my mind kept going back to Bella. I knew that she was in good care, but I was worried. What if Tanya had someone at the hospital? They could do more harm to my Bella. I knocked on my father's door.

"Come in," his voice beckoned from the other side. As I walked in, father glanced up. "Edward, we need to speak." I looked at him warily. "I know that you and Jimmy are very close, and I can't find him anywhere. Do you know where he is?"

I looked at father. "No, sir, I have no idea where he is, but he is involved with Tanya."

Father looked at me with curious eyes. "Involved with Tanya? I thought that you were involved with Tanya."

"No, I am not. Father, I'm in love with Bella. I am going to propose to her. By the end of this week."

He just glared at me. "If that's what you really want, Edward. I told you that you could do what you wanted, as long as you found someone by the end of the month. If she agrees to marry you, we will get the wedding set up by the end of next month."

I was shocked. "Really? You aren't upset about me not marrying Tanya?" I couldn't believe it.

Father just smiled. "Yes, really. I remember when my father forced me to marry your mother. I was so angry with him. It worked out for us, but you are so much more strong willed than I was that I'm worried it wouldn't work out for you."

I was so very happy. "Thank you father. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm glad that you approve of my decision." He smiled at me. "Now, onto more serious business. You said Jimmy was involved with Tanya?"

"Yes sir. Jimmy and Tanya actually beat Bella up and left her to die in an alley. Alice, her friend, found her and got her help. She actually called me instead of an ambulance . . ." I was still baffled by that decision.

"They did what? Beat her up?" Father's face started to turn red. He was getting angry.

I told him the whole story, from day one. At times he smiled, but by the end, he was angry. "I will need to talk to King Adolfo soon. I'm not sure what all he has been told. Go get cleaned up and go back to Bella. Let me know if anything changes."

"I will. And father?" I was almost to the door. "Thank you for understanding."

He smiled. "Of course. I don't want you to end up miserable, son."

As I walked to my room, I was smiling the entire way. After showering, Jasper called me. "Hey, Jazz, what's up?"

"Hey, Edward. I just wanted to warn you that there's some talk that King Adolfo is not too happy about you and Bella. I would watch your back, maybe warn your father. And get some protection on Bella. I wouldn't put it past Tanya to try again." Jasper sounded scared, and that wasn't like him.

"What are you talking about? Who told you all of this?" I was starting to worry about Bella again.

As if he sensed it, Jasper tried to reassure me. "I've already called Alice. She's still with Bella. Trust her not to let anything happen. She's smart, Edward. You need to worry about you right now. I have to go. I'll see you later."

"Wait! Jasper, you have to explain to me what's going on! Don't hang up!" The line went dead. He'd hung up. What was going on?


	14. Unexpected Circumstances

**As promised, the second chapter for today! R&R!**

**JPOV**

I couldn't believe it. How could I have been so stupid? Ugh . . . I realized that I was getting more and more angry at myself. I had to calm down. I took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed. I had to think of a way out of this mess that I had gotten myself into. I started by thinking back to what had happened in the first place.

_I had been going to the hospital to meet Alice. She was going to go visit Bella. Knowing her, she'd probably told Edward to get away for a little while. Goodness knows he needed to leave the hospital. I told Emmet where I was heading, but I'm pretty sure he didn't hear me. He was playing his video games. I had grabbed my coat and walked out the door. I was walking to the hospital. I didn't like to take a cab. It bothered me to be in a closed space like that. I started down the street. About two blocks down, I decided that I was going to take a detour or two. I really needed some time to think. I was going crazy over Alice. Em and Edward were falling just as hard. This was so unlike all of us, especially me. What was I thinking? I decided that I should call Alice and let her know I'd be a little later than expected. She was curious, naturally, as to why that was. I told her I needed some alone time, and she was alright. "I'll take care of Bella. It'll be fine. Just find me when you get here." I loved that girl. She was amazing. I looked up from my pondering. I was in an area of London that I didn't recognize. That was unlike me also. I knew everywhere in London. I turned around, prepared to go back the way I had come. As I started walking, I felt a sharp pin prick in the back of my shoulder. My mind instantly started to go hazy. "I never realized it would be so easy. I was expecting to have to seduce you."_

When I had woken up, it had been in a room with no windows. It was fairly nice, however, set up as a sitting room might be. I had immediately placed the voice I had heard. Tanya. How could she have caught me off my guard like that? I took another couple deep breaths. I was going to have to figure out how to get out of here.

"Well, well. You've woken up." Tanya walked into the room, Jimmy at her back.

"Traitor!" I yelled at him. "Edward trusted you! How could you do this to him?" I was furious.

Jimmy shrugged, then walked over to Tanya. As he put his arms around her waist, he said "Who cares about Edward? He's just a whiney little prince. He should have never pissed off my Tanya." He kissed her. "Although, I wasn't looking forward to being the 'other man,' I would have gotten used to it."

I started to jump up when Tanya pulled a gun on me. "Don't even think about it, Jasper. I won't hesitate to kill you, even though that would ruin my perfect plan. My father is very angry about Edward's choice to court that little slut instead of me. She's not even royalty! He has to marry a princess, or she won't be a real queen. My father will also see to it that Edward doesn't make it to King if he marries her." Tanya smiled sweetly. "That would be most unfortunate. I would hate to cause a war between Spain and England over something as silly as a courtship."

I was seething. "You are willing to destroy both countries just to marry Edward? You are crazy." I started laughing. I couldn't help it. It was my only defense mechanism against the fear I was feeling for my best friend.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Tanya screamed. "I will not have you laughing at me! Jimmy, make him stop laughing," she commanded in the coldest voice possible. Jimmy complied. He punched me in the stomach. I immediately stopped laughing. "That's better. Now, I'll come back later to see if you've decided on anything. I'm sure that you could persuade Edward to change his mind. I'll see you later." She walked out.

Jimmy stopped before he shut the door. "I would do what she wants, Jasper. She will get it, one way or another." He shut the door, and I heard a bolt slide into place.

I started pacing, wondering how I was going to get out of this situation. I needed to talk to Edward, warn him. He should know about the imminent danger. I put my hands into my coat pockets out of nervous habit. When my hand closed around my phone, I knew what I had to do. I dialed Edward's number.

He answered after about three rings. "Hey, Jazz, what's up?" He sounded very happy.

"Hey, Edward. I just wanted to warn you that there's some talk that King Adolfo is not too happy about you and Bella. I would watch your back, maybe warn your father. And get some protection on Bella. I wouldn't put it past Tanya to try again." I was scared to death. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I wasn't sure if he'd believe me.

"What are you talking about? Who told you all of this?" I could hear the worry creep into his voice. He was terrified for Bella, just as I was terrified for him.

"I've already called Alice. She's still with Bella. Trust her not to let anything happen. She's smart, Edward. You need to worry about you right now." I heard footsteps outside of my door. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

"Wait! Jasper, you have to explain to me what's going on! Don't hang up!" I hit the end button. It wasn't a minute too soon. The door opened just as I pulled my hand out of my coat pocket. Jimmy walked through the door with a platter of food.

"Dinner is served. And Tanya wanted me to make sure that you knew the food wasn't poisoned. You wouldn't be any good to her sick or dead." Jimmy smiled. "Although, I wouldn't mind it if you and your obnoxious friends disappeared." He walked out, sliding the bolt into place again.

I was lost. I sat down to eat, knowing that I was going to need my nourishment and strength if I was to escape this place. As I ate, I couldn't help but wonder how I would get out of here.


	15. Formulating Plans

**Next chapter! You get a little of each this time around! R&R**

**EPOV**

My mind was racing as I dialed Alice. What was wrong with Jasper? He never hung up on me. That just wasn't like him. The phone rang once, then Alice answered.

"Hey Edward!" She sounded chipper, as always. "Bella's just fine. She woke up for a little while, long enough to eat, then fell back asleep. You should stop worrying about her. Nothing is going to happen."

Alice would have kept going except I jumped in when she decided that she needed a breath. "I can't help but worry about her, Alice. Have you heard from Jasper recently?" I was trying to stay calm. No need to freak Alice out.

"Well, he called me earlier. He was on his way here, said he needed some time to think, that he would be later than he thought originally. I didn't think anything about it at the time, but now that I'm looking at the time, he should have been here by now. That was about 45 minutes ago. Is he alright, Edward?" Alice was starting to worry. Not good. I had to trust her to keep her head about this.

"Alice, Jasper just called me. He sounded scared. I'm not sure what to make of it. He said that I needed to warn my father that King Aldolfo wasn't very happy about Bella and I, and that I should get some extra protection on Bella. When I asked him what he meant, he hung up on me. That's not normal." I had to take a deep breath. I was so worried that I had run through all that without a single breath.

Alice was quiet, which wasn't normal. After a minute, she sighed. "Edward, I don't know what to make of that. Jasper isn't going to back out on you, if that's what you were thinking. He probably just got sidetracked. .. ." I could hear it in her voice that she didn't believe that. "You don't think . . ." Alice stopped. "Edward, could Tanya have something to do with this? I mean, she is crazy."

I shook my head, then remembered that Alice couldn't see me. "No, I don't think so, but nothing else makes sense right now. I'm going to call Emmett and see if he has any ideas. He's always been able to come up with some pretty good ideas. I'll let you know if we figure anything out, alright?"

"Ok. Edward, I promise that nothing is going to get past me to Bella. I'm going to let Dr. Carlisle know what the situation is. Maybe he'll be able to help me out here."

"Thanks. I owe you one." I hung up the phone. After taking a deep breath, I called Emmett and told him that he needed to come over immediately. We had some serious planning to do.

* * *

JPOV

I was so tired of being cooped up in this room. Yeah, it was nicely furnished, but still, I was being held prisoner. It was bothering me on levels that it probably shouldn't have been. I had walked around the entire room well over one hundred times, trying to find something that I could use against Jimmy and Tanya so that I could get out of here. Not that it would do me much good. There didn't seem to be anything that could outsmart a gun. I decided to walk the room one more time, slowly, looking at every little detail. I started behind the door. I saw some dust around the edges of the floor. That would be useful. I rolled my eyes, surprised that I was able to joke with myself about anything in this situation. I kept going.

The walls were delicate brickwork, surprisingly beautiful. I slid my hand along the wall, knowing that Alice would have admired it. I kept my hand there as I continued my search of the room. As I came upon the bookshelf that housed tons of histories, I started to move away from the wall. I stopped to look at the books on it, thinking that maybe something might be found hidden between the books. I knew it was a small chance, but I had to find out. I started pulling books and looking through them when I felt a draft. I kept looking, thinking only of finding my way out, when I realized that I was in a room without windows. I turned to make sure that the door was closed. It was. Odd. I turned back to the book I was looking at. A minute later, I felt it again. Just as I decided to find where it was coming from, the door opened.

"Jasper, I hope you have been enjoying your stay." Tanya walked in with my evening meal. "I am sorry that we have to keep you locked up like a dog, but you understand, surely, that I can't have you running to Edward to spoil my surprise. That would ruin everything." She smiled sweetly. "Just so you know, everything is under way. Isn't that great? My father will be informing good ole' Edward Sr. that if his son doesn't marry me, that will be the end of any peace that our countries have had." She pulled out a phone and held it out towards me. "Are you ready to convince Edward that I am the right choice?"

I shook my head. I was thinking on my feet. "Tanya, I'm still considering what to say. Also, if I do this for you, what do I get out of it?" I knew that I was going to have to play this up.

She smiled a wicked smile. "Well, I'm glad you see things my way. Should you convince Edward that I am better than his little girlfriend, I will see to it that you go free, no repercussions whatsoever. On my word as a princess."

I knew she was lying, but that would play to my advantage also. "Alright. Well, give me until tomorrow afternoon to figure out my words. But, if I get distracted, it will take longer, so please, if you could be so kind, make sure I am left alone." I saw her jaw tighten. She didn't like that idea. I had to reassure her that I was captive with no way to escape. "You could post a guard outside the door if it makes you feel better. I just need some time to think, and I do that better with no interruptions."

Tanya looked at me with critical eyes. "Very well. You will not be disturbed, but I will make sure that a guard is posted at your door. You have until tomorrow afternoon. Make sure you figure everything out." She turned and walked out.

I sighed. Wow, that was easy. Now I had time to figure out where that draft had come from. I waited until I heard the bolt slide into place, then walked over to the bookshelf. There had to be something there that I could use. I started removing the books one at a time from the shelf, looking around, then putting them back. By the second shelf, I was starting to think that I had gone crazy. I figured that, even if I was crazy, I had to do something, and it wouldn't hurt to check the books. I kept at it.

As I got to the end of the third shelf, I found a book that wouldn't budge. I tried pulling it, but it wouldn't move. Finally, in desperation, I punched the book because I needed to get rid of some tension. I was surprised when the book actually moved back, and the bookcase slid back into the wall. I caught myself before I fell. Curious, I walked over to the bookshelf. It had pushed itself all the way back into the wall, leaving a small opening on the left hand side of the shelf. So that's where the draft had been coming from! A plan started forming in my head as I headed into the dark tunnel, trying to figure out where it would lead me.


	16. Apprehension

**Sorry that it's been so long! With the end of the semester coming up, I've had tons of homework! Anyways, here's the next chapter! R&R!**

**EPOV**

Emmet had rushed over as soon as I told him what was going on. He was pacing the room, rattling ideas off left and right.

"We could go bust in on King Aldolfo and demand that he let Jasper go. Oh! Or, we could track Jimmy like the traitorous dog that he is and force him to tell us where Jasper is. I'm sure he knows. Or we could . . ."

I stopped him, needing some time to think about what was going through my mind. "Emmet, we don't even know if Jimmy is involved with Jasper's disappearance. I know that Jasper didn't just up and leave us, that's not like him," I stated quickly as Emmett's face started to turn bright red and angry, "but we need to think about the fact that it could be someone else." I could feel it in my gut that Tanya was the key to this puzzle with Jasper, but I still didn't want to believe that Jimmy, one of my best friends in the palace, would betray me like he had. I was still trying to figure out if Bella could have mistaken someone else for Jimmy.

Emmett started pacing again, much faster than before. "Edward, we have to find Jasper. I know that I know that I know that Jimmy is involved. You know it too. Bella didn't mistake Jimmy for someone else, and you know it. She's much to stable for that, and you can feel it in your gut. I know you, Edward, and I know what you're thinking. It's written on your face, clear as day." He stopped pacing, standing directly in front of me. "Stop trying to pretend that we could all be mistaken. I understand that he was your friend and all, but face the truth!" He was starting to use his entire body to get the point in to me. I just didn't want to see it.

"Pretend, for a moment, that I'm right. Pretend that we know for sure that Jimmy didn't do it. Who could have done it? Surely Tanya has guys dripping off of her like diamonds…" I was grasping for anything and everything that would make sense, but Emmett was right. I knew in my gut that Jimmy was the one responsible for Jasper's disappearance.

Emmett had had it with my inability to come to terms with the truth. He slapped me across the back of the head, hard. "Dude!! Get with it here! We need to find out what Jimmy," he made sure to practically scream it at me, "and Tanya did with Jasper! Have you thought about going to your dad and asking him if there's anything he can do about it?" Emmett was working himself up.

I frowned, rubbing the back of my head. "No, I hadn't thought of that yet. I mean, I guess I could. What could it hurt, right?" For some reason, this didn't feel like the right thing to do. Oh well. It was a starting place. "Emmett, you wait here. I'm going to go and talk to my father, get his take on everything. I'll be back in a little while." I turned and walked out of the door.

* * *

"Explain this to me again, Edward. You say that Tanya is the one who kidnapped Jasper? Do you have any proof of this to bring to her father?" I could tell that he was angry with the thought of me accusing Tanya of something so vicious. "You realize that if I even contemplated bringing this to Aldolfo, he would wage war without a second thought. It's not pretty, and I'm not sure that I believe you." At that moment, the phone rang. "Hold on a minute, son." He picked it up.

I was lost in thought. How could he not believe me? He had believed me when I told him that Tanya was the one who had beat Bella to a pulp. How was this any less vicious that what was happening? I was trying to think of a way to make him believe me when he spoke directly to me.

"I'm sorry, son. I should have believed you before this." I looked at him, confusion clearly written across my face. "That was Aldolfo. He just told me that if you don't promise to marry Tanya, the peace treaty that has kept Spain and England war-free for years will be null-in-void. He will go to war with us."

My stomach dropped. "War? Over a marriage? Did he explain why he felt this way?" I was baffled.

My father looked at me sympathetically. "Son, I know how much you love Bella, but it seems to me that you have been fooled. Aldolfo did some research on your American sweet heart. She's a French spy, not American at all. She's been known to bring down entire aristocracies. She's also been known to sleep around with every guy that she can get her hands on. This is why King Aldolfo is going to start a war with us if you don't break it off with her immediately. He will not tolerate the country that is in peace with him to be taken down by a French spy. I'm sorry, but you will have to tell Bella that you can't see her anymore."

I felt dizzy and sat down. Bella a French spy? No way could I see her in that position. "Father, do you have proof of this? In all due respect, I can't believe it without some form of proof, and even then I'll have a hard time believing it."

He grabbed some papers from the fax machine, put them in a file folder, and pushed it over to me. "He had it all faxed over to me. All the proof is there. I'm very sorry, Edward, but I can't have what we've built be brought to ruin by a girl." He got up and walked over to his door. "I think you have some serious thinking to do, son. Please choose in the best interests of your country."

I stood up, file in hand, and walked out. I was lost. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Bella a French spy? No way could she be, but apparently everyone seemed to think so. I reached into my pocket to grab my phone. I was going to call Bella and have her tell me everything. As I started to dial her number, I realized that I needed to read the file and figure out what I thought first. As I reached down towards my pocket to put my phone away, it started ringing. Looking at the screen, I shuddered inwardly. _Alice_, I thought. She was with Bella right now. I didn't want anything to do with her, Rosalie, or Bella at the moment. I silenced my phone and headed back to my room.

"Edward! I've figured out the most brilliant plan!" Emmett's booming voice assaulted me as I entered my room. "We can call up Tanya and let her know that we're onto her plan. We'll tell her that if she doesn't let Jasper go and leave you alone, we'll tell her father all the horrible things that she's done since your date! Isn't brilliant?" Emmett was bouncing up and down.

I sighed, then plopped down on my bed. "That's a great plan, Em, except for one thing. Her father believes every little lie that Tanya has fed him." Emmett's face grew confused. "I don't know what all she has told him, but apparently he believes that Bella is a French spy. He called my father while I was talking to him and said that if I don't marry Tanya, he's going to declare war on England."

Emmett went from confused to angry in less than a second as he realized the implications of everything I had just said. "She's forcing you into marrying her?!? I can't believe it!" Emmett started pacing in his anger. "She's got no right to go and do that! It's none of her business who you marry! You can marry Bella if you want to! And Bella a French spy? While that would be freaking awesome, she isn't! They don't have any proof!" Emmett would have kept ranting on if I hadn't stopped him there.

"Emmett," I whispered, "they do have proof. Aldolfo had it faxed over to my father earlier today." I passed him the folder. "I haven't looked at it, and I'm not sure that I want to. I love Bella. I love her so much that it hurts. I can't imagine being without her, but if it comes down to her or my country, my father will make sure that I choose my country. I just know it." I hung my head in despair.

Emmett sat down next to me. "Wow, man. I don't know what to say. I mean, I don't believe a word of this, no matter who says it's true, because I know Bella, and she's just not spy material. She blushes at everything!" He sounded about how I felt.

"I don't know, Emmett. I mean, spies are supposed to be good at what they do. If she's a spy, then she most defiantly is doing a dang good job of keeping her identity secret. Can you do me a favor, Em?" At his nod, I continued. "Don't say anything about this to Rose or Alice, and especially not Bella. I've got to figure out what I think before they know about this."

He didn't say anything, but nodded slowly. "If that's what you need, then I guess I can do it. I don't like it, but alright." He stopped, then looked up at me. "I'll come back later so that we can figure out a way to save Jasper. If you need to talk, you know how to reach me." With that he turned and left.

I watched him shut the door, then tuned to the folder he had left sitting next to me. With much apprehension, I opened it up and began to read.


	17. Kindness and Secrets

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Just finished finals, so hopefully will be updating more frequently. Also, I'm getting ready to start a new story. I'll let you know when I get the first chapter posted, so be looking for it! Anyways, here's the next chapter, so R&R and enjoy!**

JPOV

I turned around the corner, checking by feel for a lever or switch of some kind to shut the door. If Tanya knew about this passage, she would know how to open it, but if she didn't, she would have no idea how I had gotten out. I was fervently hoping that the latter would prove to be true. I jumped when the bookcase slid shut with a soft _thump_ behind me. I smiled, then headed down the dimly lit passage.

I was awestruck as I traveled down the passage. It was simple stonework, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. Looking at the surrounding art (as I had come to think of the stonework), I realized how much Alice had affected every aspect of me. Stone as artwork? I would have laughed at the thought just a couple of weeks prior, but now the thought made me think of Alice and how much I missed her right now.

Deep in thought as I kept walking, I nearly walked past an entrance way on my left. I peeked in, and seeing no sign of anybody around, I walked in. It was an old nursery, covered in layers of dust. It had probably not seen a child in many years. As I walked around, I couldn't help but keep my ears on alert for any sounds. I flipped around at a soft sound of feet behind me. There was nobody there. I looked down and noticed a small mouse, shaking in fear as it tried to run. I laughed inwardly at myself. I was paranoid, and I needed to calm down.

I decided that I wasn't going to find anything that would help me escape, so I turned around to continue my journey down the path. I was surprised when I almost ran into a woman of small stature who came to my chest level. I flipped my head around, looking for a way to escape when she asked, "Are you Jasper Whitlock?"

I stopped and looked at her, debating whether or not to tell her the truth. I decided that it didn't matter. "Yes, ma'am. That would be me."

She smiled, and I felt my stomach drop. "Come with me," she said, then turned and headed down the passage the same way that I had been heading.

"May I ask where we are going?" I asked her. I didn't want to end up back at Tanya.

The woman looked over her shoulder. "I am helping you. That is all you need to know." She turned her head back around and continued walking.

I was thinking about what she had said. She was helping me? In a good way or bad? My stomach was fluttering, and I knew that I had to quell my nerves before I got myself into worse trouble than I was already in. "Ma'am, could you tell me how you know about me?" I asked, wanting to get some information.

She talked while walking. "Word travels fast in the servant's quarters. A friend overheard the Princess's new courter telling someone about you. He said that you were being held as a hostage until Prince Edward made the commitment to marry the Princess. When word got around to me about it, I knew that you would need help. I wasn't the only one who thought so, but I was the only one brave enough to go through the old passages to search for you."

That would explain the dust I saw in the nursery, I thought. "Does Tanya know about these passages?" I asked, worry creeping into my voice against my will.

She shook her head. "It depends. Were you smart enough to close whatever door you came into the passage through?" When I shook my head in the affirmative, she nodded. "Then the Princess doesn't know about these passages. She's too busy trying to woo Prince Edward that she doesn't care about us servants. That is one reason why I am so willing to help you. I don't like the Princess, even though I must act like it. Even when she does notice us, she is rude, not at all like her sisters, who always treat us servants with kindness."

I was starting to piece together what was happening. This woman was helping me to escape from Tanya because she had treated her badly. While I wasn't sure the depth of her dislike for Tanya, I knew that it would play to my advantage. "Thank you, ma'am, for helping me out. I really do appreciate it. I was just going to wander through this passage until I came to a way out."

She smiled. "I know. That would be the most logical thing for you to do, but it wouldn't have done you any good. You would have gotten lost." I realized that she was right, thinking back to all the turns that we had made that I had unconsciously been keeping track of. "That is why I am here to guide you through."

I counted my blessings as we walked, knowing that this lady was the best thing to happen to me since my stupidity had gotten me caught by Tanya. I looked up, noticing the light that had been steadily growing brighter for the last couple of minutes. "That is the way that you will leave. It's the only way that you can get away without Tanya knowing."

"Thank you ma'am. If you would be willing to tell me where I am so that I find a way to get back to England and my friends."

"You are in Spain, but," she paused, a slight smile cresting her features, "we have arranged transport for you to get back to England today." She picked up the pace.

I smiled. Someone was looking out for me. "Thank you, ma'am. If there's anything I can do to repay you for your kindness…"

"The only thing you can do is make sure that Prince Edward marries his American bride. I don't want the Princess to be happy, even though it will make me miserable. Prince Edward deserves much better than her." She smiled, then said, "You can find your way from here. Transportation will be waiting for you. Good luck, Jasper." With that, she turned and went off down a side passage that I hadn't noticed before.

With a small wave and a little prayer of thanks, I kept walking toward the light, toward freedom.


	18. Good News and Bad News

**Alright! Here's the next chapter, and it's longer than the last one! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

EPOV

Emmet and I had been trying to come up with a legit plan for rescuing Jasper for two days, and we still had no idea where he could have been taken. We knew without a doubt that Tanya had taken him, even though we had no proof. It was just a feeling that wouldn't go away, and I knew better than to not trust it. So we sat in my room, thinking of different ways to rescue Jasper. Nothing useful was coming to mind.

"Man, I can't think anymore! My brain is hurting so bad!" Emmet whined at me. I smiled, knowing that Emmet had done most of the serious thinking. I was still debating whether or not to believe that Bella was a spy. A French spy, at that. She didn't even look French! My mind was reeling. "Edward, are you still here?" Emmet was waving his hands in front of my face. "I've been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes now. Where were you?"

I frowned. A couple of minutes? I had only been thinking for a couple of seconds. "Sorry. I'm still trying to decide what to think about this whole Bella issue. I mean, come on, she doesn't even look French!" I threw up my hands, frustrated with everything. Jasper wasn't here and Bella might be a spy. I was in a jumble of emotions.

"You're still debating whether she's a spy or not, huh? Man, you just need to talk to her about this. You're wasting your time trying to figure out what's going on without talking to her. It really would help." Emmet, who was usually pretty stupid, sometimes made a valid point, but I was hearing none of it.

"Em, I don't want to talk to Bella about this. I mean, what if it's true? What if she really is a French spy? I don't want to know! I mean, I do want to know, but I don't want to let her go, no matter what! It hurts to even think about not having her in my life." I placed my head in my hands, doing my best not to break down.

Emmet put his hand on my shoulders. "I understand how you're feeling to an extent. I mean, Rose isn't a spy or anything, but I do know that it would kill me to not have her. She's everything to me now. I do get it, truly." Emmet stopped, then smiled. "Why don't you try talking to Rose or Alice about it? I know that you don't want to talk to Bella, but they might be able to help you work through your thoughts!"

I looked up, confused. How could they help me figure my thoughts out when they made no sense to me as was. "Em, I don't know . . ." I stopped, realizing that he wasn't giving me a choice.

"Hey baby! What's going on?" Emmet was on the phone with Rosalie. "Cool, cool. Hey, can you do me a favor and meet me here at the palace? Edward really needs to talk to someone that isn't me." After a pause where Emmet sat listening, he said, "No, we haven't figured out a way to get Jasper back, but we're still working on it. Right now, though, Edward could really use your help."

In the space of time where there should have been silence, I could all but hear Rosalie scream, "Why doesn't he talk to Bella? She'd be better to help him sort out his thoughts."

Emmet made a face that I was thankful Rosalie couldn't see. "Well, that's the thing. He really needs to talk to someone close to Bella, but not Bella herself." After another pause, a shorter one this time, Emmet smiled. "Babe, you are the best! We'll see you in a few!" He hung up.

I sighed. "Thanks for giving me a choice, Emmet. I could have done this on my own, you know. I don't need a girl to help me out here."

Emmet laughed. "Edward, you have no idea what you're saying right now. You can't sort through your own thoughts right now, so I'll do it for you. You need to talk to someone, and Rosalie will help. Deal with it." With that, Emmet turned on the Xbox and started playing COD.

I sighed, turning around to my desk with all the information on Bella lying on it. I started sifting through the pages again, hoping that it would help me to figure out some of my thoughts. I didn't want to believe that Bella was a spy, but who knew? She could have been lying to me from the start. After all . . . I let that train of thought go. It would just depress me.

I looked up about ten minutes later when I heard a commotion out in the halls. Rosalie must have arrived. She's the only one who could cause that much noise from a single arrival. I sighed, knowing that I was fixing to go through therapy hell with Rosalie. When the door opened, however, I was in for a shock. Rosalie wasn't the one coming through the door. It was Jasper.

Emmet quickly jumped up from the game, running to Jasper and giving him a huge bear hug. "Jasper! I'm so glad to see you! Where have you been? My brains still hurting from trying to figure out a way to rescue you! Now it can rest in peace!" Jasper started laughing to the best of his ability, seeing as how he was being choked by the might of Emmet's arms.

"It's good to see you too, Emmet. Now, can you please let me go? I would like to breath," Jasper managed to get out. Emmet, looking happier than ever, let him go and backed up. "Wow. Thanks for letting me go. I wasn't sure what was going to happen if you had kept a hold of me." He smiled, then looked over at me. His smile faltered. "What's up, Edward? You look like you just lost your best friend or something."

I looked up at him, trying to fake a smile, but knowing that it wasn't going to work. "Sorry. I really am glad to see you. We couldn't come up with any way to find you, even though we knew that Tanya had taken you. I'm glad you got out by yourself."

Jasper smiled. "Well, it wasn't quite by myself, but close. I'll tell you about it after you explain why you look so down."

I looked up at him, then at Emmet. "Apparently there's proof that Bella is a French spy. That's what all those papers around him are. He doesn't know what to think, so I called Rosalie so that she could help him sort out his thoughts. If I had known that you were going to be back so soon, I would have waited to see if you could do anything for him." I smiled, thanking Emmet with a nod of my head.

Jasper nodded, coming over to see the papers that I had scattered around me. "Edward, do you believe that she could be a French spy?" He looked at me with a brooding glance.

"I don't know what to believe. I mean, looking at all the evidence that Tanya's father sent over, some of the things that she's done in the past makes it seem like she's really a spy. I don't want to believe that she is, but who knows?" I put my head down on the desk, trying to get rid of the headache that was starting to build.

"Did you say that this information came from Tanya's father?" Jasper asked in a menacing voice. "And you actually believe his lies? Come on, Edward, his daughter just kidnapped me in the most embarrassing way, and you believe that her father has found all this information about Bella on his own? I have a very odd feeling that Tanya is the one who came up with all this information. And I bet that all of it's false information." Jasper looked at me, anger in his eyes.

Just then, the door slammed open. "Edward, we need to talk, right now," my father said. I looked up, frustrated at being interrupted. "Jasper, it's good to see that you are alright. You'll have to tell me what happened later. Edward, my office, now." With that, he walked out.

I sighed. "Well, I guess I'll follow him. If I don't, he might kill me. When Rosalie gets here, just keep her in my room. I'll be back as soon as my father gets through talking." I got up and headed for the door. "Oh, and Emmet? Don't destroy my room when she gets here."

I walked off as Emmet yelled "Hey!" I smiled, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. I walked down the corridors to my father's office. I didn't bother knocking when I got there because I wanted to show my father that I was frustrated with the interruption.

My father looked up with an agitated look on his face. "At least you came promptly. I just wanted to let you know that there will be no war between Spain and England." I looked up, a small glimmer of hope setting deep in my stomach. "Aldolfo and I have come to an understanding."

My eyebrows raised. "Oh? And what would that be?" I asked, just a little too much attitude in my tone.

My father's face became darker. "You will marry Tanya. As of right now, the law states that a prince must marry someone of royal blood in order to ascend to the throne of England. You're wedding will be in next week. All the preparations have been made." He smiled at me.

I felt my stomach get heavier and heavier. "You are telling me that I have to marry Tanya? What happened to being able to choose my bride? I've chosen who I want to marry already, and it sure as hell isn't Tanya." I was angry, and by the time I finished ranting, I was screaming at my father. "You can't force me to marry her. I won't!"

My father's face was blood red. "You will marry Tanya. I will not have you running the risk of tearing England apart by marrying a French spy. You've seen the proof for yourself. Bella is a French spy, and you will not marry her!"

I glared at my father. "Tanya made up all that information about Bella being a French spy. She did it because she's angry at me for falling in love with someone other than her. I can't help it if I don't love her, but nothing is going to change that. Tanya is nothing more than a manipulative whore!" With that, I stormed out of his office, slamming the door behind me. I was angry with my father and with Tanya. I knew for a fact now that Bella was no French spy. I only wish that I had the chance to talk to her before everything went downhill faster than it already was.

I stormed into my room, slamming the door behind me. Jasper and Rosalie both jumped up from where they were sitting, and Emmet flung around in his chair so fast that he fell over. They all looked up at me, laughter dying as soon as they saw me. "Edward, what happened?" Jasper asked in an almost whisper.

I ran to the desk, tearing up the papers as soon as my hands came in contact with them. "Emmet, stop him!" I heard Rose yell. "He's going to hurt himself or someone else!"

I ignored them, continuing on with my venting process that wasn't helping me any. I grabbed my chair, tossing it across the room. Jasper ducked just in time to keep the chair from slamming into his head. "Emmet, now!" Jasper yelled. I was tackled from two sides, Emmet on one and Jasper on the other.

"Get off of me! Get off of me!" I yelled uselessly. I knew that they weren't going to move, but it didn't change the fact that I didn't want them on me. "Get off of me right now!"

They didn't budge. "Edward, they aren't getting off of you until you calm down. I refuse to watch you hurt yourself and possibly one of your friends," Rosalie stated. She was starring down at me with her hands on her hips. "Now, tell us what happened. You never get angry like that. Explain." She was serious.

I mumbled a few choice words under my breath, and her face got more red. "Fine, I'll explain if you will get these oafs off of me." At a nod of her head, Emmet and Jasper got off of me. I sat up, going to retrieve the chair I had chunked across the room. I sat down in it while everyone else sat on the bed. I took a deep breath. "Next week, I will be marrying Tanya." Everyone gasped. Rosalie looked ready to kill. Emmet got angry enough to jump at me. Jasper grabbed him, not showing whether or not he was angry. "My father has put into law that in order for any male to ascend to the throne, he must marry some of royal blood. Seeing as how Tanya is the only one who qualifies for this, Aldolfo and my father have set up an arranged marriage between Tanya and I. My life is officially over as of next week."


	19. Heartbreak and Release

**Yay! Another chapter so soon! R&R and Enjoy!**

APOV

Sitting next to Bella, I couldn't help but worry. I hadn't heard from Jasper since Edward had told me that something was up. I was worried sick, and keeping up my happy face for Bella wasn't working very well.

"Alice?" Bella whispered. "What's wrong? You look so sad, and you never look sad." She looked at me, worry etched on her face.

I quickly smiled, putting my happy face back on for Bella's benefit. "Nothing's wrong. Just worried about you," I lied with a smile.

She glanced at me with a frown. "You are a terrible liar, Alice. Now, please, tell me what's wrong before Dr. Carlisle comes in here because my heart rate comes up from me strangling you." She smiled, showing me that she was joking, at least about the strangling part.

I sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you aren't going to like any of it." She glanced at me with worry, then steeled herself. "Well, first of all, you and Edward have been all over the tabloids, no thanks to Tanya, I'm sure." Bella's face turned bright red. "Also, Jasper disappeared a couple days ago. Nobody has heard from him except for Edward. He called he to warn him to watch out. I still don't understand that. Anyways, he's still missing as far as I know. I don't know what to do!" I whined.

Bella looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Alice, I'm very sorry, but I'm sure that he's alright. You know that if Edward hears anything, he'll call you in no time at all. Just relax," she told me. She smiled at me and put her hand on my shoulder.

My phone started buzzing from across the room. I jumped up and danced to it, watching Bella laugh at me. I glared at her, then looked at my phone. I squealed. "Bella! You were right! He is o.k.!" I giggled. "Hello?" I answered my phone. "I'm so glad that you're alright, Jazz! I missed you so much! When are you going to tell me what happened? I promise not to kill Tanya for it, I promise." My smile, which had been brighter than the sun knowing that the love of my life was alright, fell quickly. "Are you serious? No! That can't happen! I won't let it! And why would he even begin to believe something like that? That's just like Tanya! I refuse to keep my promise about not killing Tanya. She is going to die if I ever see her again!" I was angry, and Jasper was practically yelling at me to calm me down. "Alright, well, I'm going to fill Bella in and I'll meet up with you and everyone else this evening at my place. Dr. Carlisle will be releasing Bella as soon as I tell him that's it alright and safe to release her. He's been so nice, letting her stay here with his extra protection until everything blew over . . . I guess, though, that nothing has blown over. Oh well. I'll see you tonight. I love you!" With that, I hung up the phone.

Bella was staring at me with a look of bewilderment on her face. "What's going on, Alice? You're angry, and I know that it has something to do with Tanya. Please, explain to me what's happening." Her eyes were brimming with tears.

I looked at her, trying hard not to cry. She was going to be heartbroken when she learned everything. "Bella," I started, then stopped. I didn't want to hurt her like this, but she had to know. I took a deep breath. "Tanya and her father have 'provided'," I put that in quotes with my fingers, "some information that proves that you are a French spy." I stopped, taking a breath.

"What? Alice, you know that I'm not a spy, and I'm not even French! Come on! There's no history of the French in my family!" She stopped, then the tears filling her eyes started to fall. "Edward didn't believe it, did he?" she asked, trying not to break down.

I took another breath to get myself together. "Well, he didn't know what to think at first, but once his father backtracked on his deal, he realized how big of a fool he was. He was going to come over here, but Jasper kept him from running over here. He was so upset, he probably would have hurt himself."

Bella looked confused. "What do you mean, his father backtracked on his deal? I'm confused, Alice. I don't understand what's happening." She looked up at me, needing me to explain to her.

Once again, I took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. "Bella, Edward's father passed a law stating that in order for Edward to become the king of England, he has to marry someone of royal blood." I stopped, letting the words sink in before I continued. "The wedding is set for next week, and all the arrangements have been made." I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch her break down.

Bella took a deep breath as the entirety of the situation slammed into her. I heard her trying to not break down, but when I opened my eyes, she started sobbing. I ran to her, grabbing her into a huge hug. "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry! I wish that I could change this. I wish that I had beat the living daylights out of Tanya when I found out what she was trying to do. I could have stopped this if I had tried." I kept ranting, rubbing Bella's back while she broke down. Her entire universe had come crashing down in just a few seconds. I knew how much she loved Edward. This was going to be a long week.

Bella took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "Well, this sucks," she said. "I guess I'll just have to talk to Edward about this. You said that we are going to be meeting with everyone tonight, right?" At my nod, she seemed to come to a conclusion. "Alright. This will work out. I'll make it work."

"Make what work? Bella, what are you going to do?" I asked her, curiosity and alarm fighting for control of my voice. She shook her head, and I knew that she wouldn't tell me anything about it. "Fine, don't tell me. I guess we'll figure it out later anyways." I looked at her closely, making sure that she wasn't going to break down again. "I'm going to go and get Dr. Carlisle and let him know that he can release you."

She smiled at me. "Thank you, Alice. If you wouldn't mind, could you ask him to come here, also? I'd like to talk to him."

"Bella, he has to come in here to release you," I informed her. She started laughing, and I joined her. "Alright, I'll be right back."

I found Dr. Carlisle right away in his office. "Sir, everything's clear with the Bella situation. If you wouldn't mind releasing her, we have plans this evening."

He smiled up at me. "No problem, Alice. I'll be right there to release her. Just let me finish up this paperwork."

I smiled at him and headed back to Bella. I was practically skipping as I approached her room. I stopped outside the door, hearing that she was on the phone.

"Edward, this isn't going to be something to discuss. I've made my decision. We'll talk about it more this evening with everyone else." She paused, then continued, "I love you, Edward. Please, always remember that. I'll talk to you this evening. Good bye."

I waited for a couple of minutes, then waltzed in like nothing had happened. "Bella, Dr. Carlisle will be right here." She smiled at me, a sad smile that looked resigned. I couldn't keep my curiosity calm any longer. "Bella, I heard you talking to Edward." Her face looked startled, then calm again. I hurriedly said, "I didn't hear very much. Just the very end of your conversation. What's going on?" I was honestly curious.

She shook her head at me. "You'll find out tonight, with everyone else. Don't worry about it, please. I'm just going to do what's best for everyone." She looked up at Dr. Carlisle walked in.

"Hello Bella. How are you feeling today?" he asked her, smiling.

She smiled back. "I'm doing alright. Most definatly been better, but doing alright." She looked up at his eyes. "Can I go home now? Please? I've got some very serious thinking to do, and I always think better when I'm at home."

He looked at her, obviously worried about her. "Sure, Bella, I'm going to release you. All the paperwork is done. I want you to get lots of rest when you go home. No running around without someone with you if you leave the house. I don't want to see you back here messed up again." He smiled, showing his very kind side.

She smiled, a true smile this time. "I understand, sir. I won't be leaving the house anytime soon anyways." As Dr. Carlisle turned to leave, Bella stopped him. "Sir, I want to thank you for letting me stay here under your protection when we figured out what actually happened. It really means a lot for me to know that someone is watching out for me."

Dr. Carlisle smiled at her, a fatherly smile. "It was no problem, Bella. It was the least I could do for someone so sweet. Now take care." He walked out the door, leaving Bella and I alone.

"Bella, I brought you some clothing to wear home. You can change when you get home, if you'd like." As I handed her the clothing I had brought her, her mouth dropped open.

I looked at her expectantly. "Alice, are you feeling alright?" When I looked at her, confused, she said, "You never let me wear sweat pants and a baggy shirt. Something must be wrong. There aren't any designer labels here, no high heels."

I smiled, knowing that she was giving me a hard time. "Oh, Bella, I just thought that you would appreciate a little bit of a break from me playing dress up with you." I winked at her, then helped her out of bed to get dressed. "I'll be right outside of the door if you need anything. Just holler, alright?"

She nodded, and I walked out. When the door shut, I leaned my head against the wall. What was she planning. It was obviously not very good if she was that sober about everything. I hit my head against the wall a couple of times, thinking through everything. I guess it would all come out in a couple of hours when we all got together at our house this evening. I just hoped that she wasn't planning something stupid. I would hate to put her back into the hospital for something stupid.

She opened the door, ready to go. "Alright, Alice. I want to go home," she said.

I shook my head. "Alright. Let's go then. You can get some rest before everyone gets there." Her face fell, and I instantly regretted bringing it up. "We'll grab some food and you can help Rose and I make dinner." She smiled a half-hearted smile, and we left the hospital together.


	20. Passion and Meaning

**Hey everyone! Here's the next drama filled chapter! It's short, but it has lots that happens and lots of things are starting to come together! R&R!**

**Also, I've started a new story. It's called Talented Love. Check it out and let me know what you think!**

**EPOV**

I was nervous. I had been since before the conversation with Bella earlier in the day. Not that the conversation had helped any. It had, in all actuality, made matters much worse. I wasn't sure why I felt so bad. I mean, it wasn't as if her decision didn't make sense. The problem was that it made perfect sense. I just didn't want to admit that to myself just yet.

After I had gotten off the phone with Bella earlier, I had told Jasper, Emmet, and Rose about our evening plans. Naturally, Rose had left instantly to go and help Alice and Bella get everything ready. Emmet had bothered me non-stop since then to explain what was going on.

"Edward, please, come on! You gotta tell us what is happening! After all, we are your best friends," he whined.

I grimaced. "Em, I would tell you if I could, but I promised Bella that I wouldn't tell. It's her decision to explain everything. You'll find out when everyone else does." I sighed, wanting so bad to explain to them what was going to happen. Maybe they would have an idea as to how we could fix the entire situation.

"Eddie! You can't leave us hanging like that! We need to know!" he continued. It had been like that until we had finally left to meet the girls.

As we arrived, my nerves peaked. Jasper grimaced, seeing the look of discomfort on my face. "Edward, you need to calm down. I'm pretty sure that it won't help the situation any if you are freaking out the entire night. Calm down." He stopped me from bursting into the girl's apartment to calm me down.

I took a couple of deep breaths. "Thank you, Jasper. I needed that." I smiled at him, then knocked on the door. After a couple of beats, Alice opened the door.

"Come in!" she sang. "We have some food here if you want something to eat. Also, we have water and juice . . ." She continued on the entire time we were entering, finally stopping as she entered the kitchen while we found seats in the living room.

I sank into one of the two recliners in the living room. Emmet took the other one and instantly dug into the food that was sitting on the coffee table. If I hadn't known better, I would have assumed that this was just going to be an ordinary night. _Oh yeah, that's right_, I thought sardonically, _I don't get to have ordinary nights._ I rolled my eyes. Jasper raised his eyebrow at me and I shrugged my shoulders. He shook his head and went back to his plate of food.

Alice and Rosalie came back into the living room. Alice, for once, was quiet as she sat next to Jasper on the love seat. Rose went and sat on Emmet's lap, taking a chip with some queso from his plate. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Bella entered.

She looked like hell. Her eyes were red from crying, and her hair looked like she had just woken up. Alice looked at her hair with a disapproving eye before looking down. I instantly jumped up and ran to Bella, who fell into my arms. She started shaking in my arms, and when she looked up into my eyes, tears were cascading down her face. I held her tightly, rubbing her back with gentle fingers, talking to her in a hushed voice, speaking nothing more than gibberish. After a minute, she got control of herself, and, holding my hand, walked over to the couch.

Everyone was staring at Bella, but she didn't blush like normal. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she looked up. "Um, well," she started, then turned to me for support. I nodded my head. "Well, I guess you all know that next week there . . . there will be a wedding." She took another deep breath to steady herself. Everyone stayed quiet, while my stomach screamed at me to make her stop talking. "I've decided that I'm going to move back home in order to prevent any more problems from occurring."

Everyone started talking at once. "No! You can't!" "What about school?" "Who will I make fun of for blushing constantly?" "I do NOT think so, Bella!" It was loud and confusing.

Bella just took yet another deep breath, then looked at everyone in turn. "I know that none of you are happy about this decision. Neither am I, but I don't want to screw up Edward's life anymore than it already is. And besides, there is no need to put another war down in the history books. I mean, come on, what would they claim was the cause of it?" she attempted at a joke.

Nobody laughed. I cleared my throat. "Bella, I've been thinking . . ."

I was cut off by a very angry Alice. "Bella, you are not allowed to leave. I mean, we'll figure out a way for everything to work out. You can't leave, Bella! You, you just can't." Alice leaned into Jasper, trying to calm herself down and failing miserably.

Bella sighed, then walked over to Alice and gave her a hug. "I've already ordered my tickets. I leave the evening of the wedding. It was the soonest that I could get a flight out. We'll go shopping tomorrow, I promise." Alice looked up, tears ruining her perfect makeup. She shook her head in sad desperation.

I opened my mouth to speak again, then stopped when Emmet started smiling great big. "Bella! I've got it!" he screamed. Everyone glanced up at him with a look of disbelief on their faces. "You and Edward can leave the country tonight! Go to America and live a normal life together! Eddie won't be king, but hey, at least he'll have his true love!"  
I smiled, realizing that Emmet had probably just figured out the most ingenious way to solve everything. Everyone was smiling when it dawned on them how brilliant the plan was, everyone but Bella, who was shaking her head.

"I've already thought about that. While it would be ideal, Edward is an only child. The throne would pass to a lesser family and war would still ensue. It would just make matters worse if Edward came with me. There is no need to drag another country into a war that can be prevented." She sighed as silent tears started falling again. "I wish there was some way for this to work out, but there isn't. I'm sorry for everything." She walked over to me and put her arms around my waist. "I love you, Edward, and I always will. Please, please remember that. No matter what, I will always love you." With that she gave me a kiss.

That kiss held so much passion that I wasn't even aware that Bella had held tight. I returned the kiss with just as much passion, putting every feeling that I had into it, making the kiss urgent and passionate at the same time. When Bella started to pull away, I tried to make the kiss last just a little bit longer by inserting more of myself into it. She let me, then pulled away slowly. "I love you, too, Bella. Always and forever." With that, she ran down the hallway, slamming her door shut. We could all hear her sobbing through the closed door.

I sat back down and put my head into my hands. I knew that this was a final decision, but that didn't mean I liked it. In fact, I knew that my life would hold little meaning without Bella in it.


	21. Wedding Preparations

**Yay! We're getting very close to the wedding! R&R and Enjoy!**

**EPOV**

The past week had flown by in a blur of activities. There were announcements made and sent out and dinners to attend. I had found myself going through all the motions on autopilot. I was so depressed that nothing was working out. I couldn't believe that I was having to marry Tanya. I couldn't even stand her! It just made everything that much worse. I had been all ready to propose to Bella when Tanya had played her ace. It made me angry that she was willing to lie about Bella just to get what she wanted. I sighed as an annoying voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Eddie! Have you decided what you are getting me for our wedding?" Tanya asked. I looked at her with annoyance written across my face. She either didn't see it or was ignoring it.

"No, Tanya, I haven't. You should be lucky that you are even getting a wedding. That should be enough for you to be happy," I told her. I was tired of listening to her whine.

Naturally, she wasn't going to take that kind of 'attitude', as she called it. "Eddie!" she dragged the nickname out. "I want so many nice things! I have an entire list of items that you could get me! I'll have my father ship the list over right now!" She ran off before I had a chance to tell her no.

I took a breath and relished the time that I had alone. I knew that it would be one of the last moments that I had to myself since tomorrow was the wedding. Gah! Just thinking about it made me want to lose my lunch, but I had no choice but to go through with it. After my father had passed that stupid law, I had been forced into attending every possible event with Tanya. Tanya, who would be the next queen of England, heaven forbid. I rolled my eyes, knowing that before I even ascended the throne, England would be flat broke because Tanya couldn't keep her tastes to something simple and not too expensive. I sighed, thinking about how much better England, and myself, would have been had I just been allowed to marry Bella. An American queen. England couldn't have asked for a better situation than that.

I was pulled from my fantasies by her annoying voice again. "Eddie, thinking of me? You sure did have a large smile on your face when I walked up." She giggled, a very unbecoming sound from her.

I resisted the urge to tell her to screw off and instead found the will to smile at her with very little menace in it. "Don't you have somewhere to be, darling?" I asked her, hoping that she would need to be somewhere in preparation for tomorrow. I desperately needed some time so that I could call and talk to Bella before she left tomorrow.

Tanya sighed. "Yes. I need to go and get my nails done today. I'm getting a French manicure. Isn't that the most ironic thing? A French manicure?" She laughed, a full bodied laugh, and I balled up my fist in an effort to contain my anger. "Oh, and I am going to go and get my hair colored. Brown with blonde streaks. Don't you think that will look fabulous? By the time I'm done, I will be heading to bed. You know, I have to get my beauty rest for tomorrow. I'm so excited!" she squealed, reminding me a bit of Alice in her enthusiasm. "Well, give me a kiss, and I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be the one wearing a white dress." She winked at me, gave me a kiss, and walked off, headed to get her nails done.

I sighed in relief, thankful to be rid of her until the wedding. Ah, the wedding. I didn't even want to think about it, really. I just knew that the only people who would be there for me would be Jasper and Emmet, and they would understand my situation. They would sympathize with me, but I knew that Tanya would not allow me to hang out with them once we were officially married. She didn't even like the fact that I would be talking to them prior to the wedding, but I'd held my ground on that one thing, and she'd finally given up. I was so glad that they'd agreed to come over tonight. It was kind of a bachelor party, but it wouldn't be too crazy, thankfully. Mostly, it would be us thinking of ways to either get totally wasted to forget about tomorrow's horrors, or it would be thinking of ways to prevent tomorrow's horrors from occurring. Most probably the former.

I looked up, realizing that I'd walked all the way to the palace. I had been so deep in thought that I didn't even realize it. I walked past the guard station when I heard a very annoying laugh.

"So, she gets her way, and I end up as the affair on the side. Well, at least no one will believe you when you tell everyone." I looked up and saw Jimmy. After that, all I saw was red.

"You traitorous bastard!" I yelled at him, trying not to deck him one. "You gave up who knows what in order to sleep with the smuttiest person in the entire world!" I was on a roll now, and I was going to give him a piece of my mind. "You are dirt, and as soon as I'm king, you will not be allowed in England, ever!" I was angry, beyond angry. He was probably the cause of all of this, putting it into Tanya's head, or maybe even being the mastermind behind all of it. I didn't care. I was not going to put up with it anymore. "You need to get the hell out of my residency. You are a traitor and a liar. You should be executed for crimes against the state. Get the hell out of my sight." I turned and walked off, feeling better after I'd seen the look on his face, one of pure disbelief that I'd said all of that. I smiled, feeling pretty smug about the whole thing.

As I strutted up to my quarters, I realized that Jasper and Emmet would be coming over in a short amount of time. I smiled, knowing that my night was going to get better, especially if Bella would talk to me before the guys got here.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed up Bella's number. I was surprised when Tanya answered. "Oh Eddie! I thought I could trust you! I'm really glad that I put this tracer on your phone. It alerts me whenever you make a call out. If I don't like who the call is going to, I can intercept the call. So, you better not try to call that little slut again, or you won't like what daddy has to say. Love you honey!" With that she hung up.

I dropped my phone like it was a snake about to strike me. Technology had become my number one, make that my number two, enemy. Tanya was my number one enemy right now. "What the hell?" I screamed. This was ridiculous. She was being such an over controlling woman! I slammed myself down onto my bed and repeatedly beat my head against my pillows.

"Whoa, Edward! Chill out!" Jasper said, coming to sit down next to me. "You really shouldn't do that. I know that the pillows are soft and all, but it could still do some damage. Besides, you've smashed that pillow entirely flat."

I sat up and looked. Sure enough, my big fluffy pillow was flat. I shook my head, trying to distill some anger. Emmet, in his genius, restated the obvious. "Wow, Eddie! You're pillow is looking a little bit small!" We all started laughing, we couldn't help it. Once we all calmed down, Emmet went and picked up my phone. "Why's your phone on the floor, Edward?" he asked, genuine confusion on his face.

I sighed. "Well, I was trying to call Bella so that I could talk to her one last time before she headed back to the United States. When she picked up, it wasn't her. It was Tanya."

Emmet growled, a literal growl, that sent shivers down my spine. "That little . . ." I interrupted him before he could say something that I would later regret.

"She told me that she put a tracker on my phone. It lets her know whenever a call is made from my phone. If she sees fit, she can intercept the call and make it not reach its destination." I paused for a second, then continued. "She also told me that if I ever tried to make contact again, her daddy would get involved." I shook my head, unable to put into words what I was feeling.

Emmet was still growling. "Nobody threatens my little sister. If I could, I would rip Tanya apart and feed her to the dogs!" His growling got louder.

Jasper, the calm in all of this, looked at Emmet with a look of pure amusement, then looked at me. "Man, she's got you on a leash that's about three inches long. This really sucks. I'm so sorry."

I just looked at him. "It's not your fault, Jasper. I just wish that things could have turned out differently. I really do."

They both nodded their heads in agreement. "So, before Emmet goes on a murderous streak, what are we going to do this evening?" Jasper said.

Emmet looked up and smiled. "How about we go out and have a good time! We can hit up the pubs and . . ." I gave Emmet a look that reminded him of the leash, and he stopped. "Oh, yeah. Forgot about her. Well, we could just have a good time, like we used to before the girls showed up. All four of them. Where we just play video games and pig out and have some quality guy time."

I smiled and shook my head to the affirmative. Jasper did the same. We all grabbed chairs and controllers and got out COD. I kept getting demolished by Emmet, who would then get destroyed by Jasper. "NO!" Emmet shouted after Jasper had killed him for the tenth time. "It's not fair! You and Ed had this all planned out, didn't you?" We started laughing, and Emmet pouted. All in all, it made for a fun night.

Before we knew it, the evening had flown by. Jasper got up. "I wish that we could stay here all night, but we really need to get going. We're going to have to be here early if we want to have a seat. The entire country is going to show up."

I looked at them, not wanting my friends to leave. "Ok," I sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Please sit somewhere close to the front so that I can see you. I'm going to need all the support that I can get if I want to make it through the torture."

They nodded their heads soberly, then left. After they had gone, I cleaned up the game systems and sat down at my desk. I figured that if I couldn't talk to Bella, I'd at least confess my unending love to her in a letter. I'd keep it in my pocket and slip to Jasper at the reception. He'd get it to her before her plane left.

I started writing.

_My dearest Bella,_

_I am so sorry that things turned out this way. If I had my choice, tomorrow's wedding would be your day, not Tanya's. I was going to propose to you before everything happened._

I scratched that out. It was crap. I started over.

_My dearest Bella,_

_I love you with all of my heart. I need you to know that. I understand that the choice you have made is necessary, but I don't like it. I wish that things had turned out differently. _

_Ever since I first saw you in Regent's Park, I knew that you were the one for me. You beauty outshines that of every other person in the entire world. I have thought of you every day since that fateful day at the coffee shop. I just wish that it had been you all along. You should know that Tanya presented information claiming that you are a French spy. I know this to be false, and I love you all the more for everything that she's put us through. It is because of this information that my father, who was happy to let me marry you, created the law that now states that in order to ascend to the throne, one must marry someone of royal blood. I think it's a stupid law, one that is not necessary, but I can't undo it now. If I could, everything would be different._

_I hope to see you again someday. I love you, Bella. I love you more than anything in the world. Please don't ever forget that. I would be devastated if you forgot that._

_Always and forever yours,_

_Edward Mason_

I stopped writing, knowing that anything I put in there more would just be repeating everything that I'd already said. Or it would be bad mouthing Tanya, and that wasn't what this letter was about. I sealed the letter and placed it on my desk where it would be in easy reach in the morning. I turned off the lights and laid down in bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and I would need all the rest I could get.


	22. The Wedding

**Here it is! The wedding day! Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

**EPOV**

I was standing at the altar, looking at my beautiful bride. Tanya really looked very beautiful today with her freshly dyed hair done in a up do with small curls framing her face, manicured nails done in a French manicure, and her makeup simple, yet exotic. "I, Princess Tanya of Spain, take you Prince Edward of England, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." She smiled up at me with a gorgeous smile.

I smiled back, knowing that I had to play the part of happy groom. "I, Prince Edward of England, take you Princess Tanya of Spain, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Her smile lit up the room.

The priest smiled at us. The moment that everyone had been waiting for was here. "Do you, Princess Tanya, take Prince Edward, to be your loyally wedded husband?"

She looked directly into my eyes. "I do."

He turned to me. "Do you, Prince Edward, take Princess Tanya, to be your loyally wedded wife?"

Everyone was holding their breath. I could feel every eye in the chapel on me. Most heavily, I could feel the eyes of my best friends watching my every move. I starred at Tanya, knowing that if I didn't say yes, both Tanya's and my father were going to be furious with me. I also knew that I couldn't live without Bella. I sighed, weighing the pros and cons, all in a few seconds. I nodded my head slightly, having made my decision. I smiled and said, "I do."

The next thing I knew was that Emmet had me by the throat. "How could you?" he snarled at me. "How could you do this to me, to all of your friends, and mostly to Bella? I can't believe that I ever called you a friend!" I couldn't breathe. Emmet was cutting off my air supply, and I was starting to black out.

"Emmet, let him go. He can live his miserable existence out without any true friends," I heard Jasper say. "I can't believe that he would choose this slut over us." Then, turning to me, "Forget that I ever called you friend. You aren't worth the time of day. And I want you to forget about Bella and Alice and Rosalie. They deserve to be friends with people who actually care, not some spoiled little brat Prince who does whatever makes him happy."

They turned to go as I found my voice. "Wait! Don't leave! I'll explain everything" I tried telling them. Unfortunately, and to my horror, my voice came out as barely a whisper of sound. Nobody, not even Tanya, who was standing right next to me trying to make sure that I was alright, could hear me.

I looked up as I heard the back door slam open. I watched, horrified, as Jasper and Emmet ran straight into Bella, who was glaring at me with an accusatory look. "I trusted you," she said, though I knew that nobody else was hearing her. "I trusted you to wait for me. Why didn't you figure something out so that we could be together?" She started to sob, and instantly I felt like a dunce. What had I done? She composed herself enough to yell at me. "EDWARD, I HATE YOU! I DON'T EVER WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR PATHETIC EXISTENCE AGAIN!" With that, she turned, slamming the doors behind her, taking Jasper and Emmet with her.

I jerked upright in bed, sweat pouring off of me like a waterfall. My heart was thudding in my chest, butterflies, or something bigger, dancing in my stomach. I glanced around. It was dark, peacefully dark. I laid my head back down onto my pillow. _It was just a dream_, I told myself. _It was not an omen of what's to come later on today_. As much as I tried to convince myself of that, I couldn't seem to believe it. The dream had been entirely too real, too vivid, for it to have been just an ordinary dream. I glanced at the clock. It was almost 8 o'clock. I lay there in bed, trying to calm down.

At exactly 8 o'clock, my mother burst into the room, the very essence of grace. "Good morning, Edward," she practically sang. "It's time to get up. You've got a very big day ahead of you!" She threw open the curtains, spilling golden sunbeams over my room, helping to banish the rest of the dream. "We need to get you ready to go!" she said, coming to sit next to me on my bed. "Goodness, I can't believe that my baby is getting married today! Can you believe it?" she asked me.

I looked up at her, my dream coming back to me. "No, I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. I wish it wasn't happening," I told her honestly.

She looked at me, motherly concern written on her face. "Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry. I wish that things could have turned out differently. I know how much you like Bella, but unfortunately, it isn't to be."

I just looked at my mother. "Mom, I didn't just like her. I love Bella. She is the most important thing in my entire world. And I can't even see her again because of all that has happened. You know, I was all ready to propose to her when the evidence that she was a French spy came out, which, by the way, is false. She's no spy. She can't lie for anything." I was swept up into nostalgia for when I had first met Bella. Her beautiful smile, the blush that came to her cheeks when she was caught staring at me, her gorgeous, cascading brown hair. I smiled, thinking about a time when all I had to do was pick out a woman and marry her. What a mess that had turned into.

I came back to reality when my mother said, "Oh. I wasn't aware that you loved Bella. And, for the record, I didn't believe that she was a French spy. She doesn't look French at all. She looks more Italian, or maybe Spanish. I don't know. She's most defiantly not French. Do you know her background at all?" my mother asked inquisitively.

"The only thing that I really know about her background is that she came from America to study. Her entire family is still in America, and she's leaving today. I'm pretty sure that her entire family has lived in America for generations. From what I can tell, there's very little trace of any of her ancestor's origins left, in her looks or in her family records. I don't really care what her background is. She is the most beautiful person that I have ever met, inside and out, and I'm broken knowing that I will never get to see her again, for any reason." I sighed, then decided to get everything off of my chest. "Also, I know that I'm going to see very little, if any at all, of Jasper and Emmet after today's ceremony. Tanya doesn't like me hanging out with them at all. She thinks that they are bad influences on me, which they aren't. They've helped me through so many tough times, I couldn't imagine not having them as friends. It feels like Tanya is ripping away my old life."

My mother looked at me sympathetically. "I understand, son, I really do. When I married your father, my entire life was left behind. My family won't speak to me because of where I live, even though our marriage was arranged." She got a wistful look on her face, almost sad. "But today is about you, not about me. I know that you love Bella and that you wish things would have turned out differently, but they didn't. So we must move on with how things did turn out. I love you, son, always will. I know that you will find a way to make this marriage work. Now, you need to get a shower and get ready. You only have four hours until you have to be at the chapel, dressed and ready to go." She smiled at me, letting me know that she would support me, then left.

I sighed, getting up out of bed. I guess it was time to face the world. I went and got a shower, letting the hot water wash away all the anxiety I was feeling. It washed away the dream until it was nothing more than an annoying hum in the back of my mind. After I had finished washing, I sat under the water for a couple minutes longer, thinking. I knew what I had to do, and I knew what I wanted to do. They were very contradicting things. I wanted to marry Bella. I had to marry Tanya. I wanted to call off the wedding, but I had to attend it or risk the wrath of both England and Spain. I wanted to hang out with my best friends again and listen to what they had to say about the entire situation. I had to go through with what had practically been decided for me, without the help of any of my friends. It was complicated and convoluted, but it was where I was.

I got out of the shower and got dressed in denim jeans and a t-shirt. I didn't know what I was going to do for the next three hours, but I was sure that I'd figure something out. I decided that I would fix my hair, knowing that Tanya had hired someone to do it for me. I knew it would anger her, and that was why I was sitting in front of my bathroom mirror, trying to decide what the best way to do my hair would be for the wedding. I thought about it for a minute before deciding that the classy, sophisticated look was not what I was going to wear. I was going to spite Tanya through every minute of the wedding. I was going to do my normal hairdo, messy and unkempt looking. I smiled upon finishing it, knowing that Tanya was going to be angry with me, especially after she found out that I didn't let her hairdresser do it for me.

I was in a relatively good mood when someone knocked on my door. I glanced at the clock. I still had a two and a half hours before I had to be at the chapel. "Who is it?" I asked tentatively, hoping fervently that Tanya would hold to the tradition of not seeing the bride until the ceremony.

"Edward, it's me, your father," my father called through the door. "Would you please admit me?" What? He was asking me to let him in? I knew that couldn't mean anything good.

"Sure, dad. Come on in." After he had entered, I sarcastically asked, "Should I give you permission to sit down, also?" His look was nervous, almost guilty, and I immediately felt bad for throwing attitude his way. "So, what's up that you asked me if you could come into my room?"

He looked at me, a frown upon his face. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about this. I know how you feel about Bella, but you have to understand that I need to do what's best for my, our country." He paused, taking a deep breath. His face changed from nervous and guilty to nervous and intimidating very quickly. "I really am sorry, but if you or your friends do anything to compromise this union of Spain and England, I will take measures to make sure that it doesn't work. I'm so very sorry, but this is what's best for the country." Before I had a chance to retort to his comments, he turned around and left.

I sat there, stunned. My father had just threatened me. I wasn't sure what had brought his threats on, but they made me angry. He not only threatened me, which I could deal with because he was my father, but he had threatened my friend, who had no idea how they could stop the wedding, much less that they would act on it without first consulting me. I knew that they would respect Bella's wishes and let her go back to America while I married Tanya. He had no right to threaten them! I thought about calling Jasper and Emmet and making sure that they wouldn't do anything stupid, but then remembered the tap that Tanya had put on my phone. Frustrated, I went to my bed and started to hit my pillow. I did that until the frustration was mostly gone. It took nearly an hour and a half before the frustration even began to subside enough for me to think clearly.

I stopped beating my pillow when I heard another knock at the door. "What is this? Everybody bother Edward day? Can I not have some time to myself?" I screamed at whoever was bothering me this time.

"Uh, um, sorry, your highness, but the Princess Tanya sent me to make sure that you were ready. I have your suit here from your mother, also," a nervous voice replied from behind the door.

I sighed reluctantly. "Come in, then." The servant entered, looking scared to be in such close proximity to me. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just been a very stressful day already." I smiled at her, trying to appear non threatening.

Apparently it worked, because she smiled tentatively back at me. "It's alright. I understand how stressful this day has been, and how much more stressful it is going to become. Thank you, however, for apologizing. I'm not used to it." She glanced at the bag she was holding. "Here is your suit. Your mother asked that I bring it up to you. She's doing some last minute decorating in the chapel and reception hall. She sends her apologies that she couldn't bring it up herself." She pulled the suit out of the bag, handed it to me, then pulled out a smaller bag. "Also, the Princess told me to fix your hair. She wants a classy and sophisticated look."

I smiled, knowing that what I was about to say would not only fluster the girl, but would make Tanya very angry if she ever found out. "Thank you very much for bringing my suit, but as you can see, my hair is already fixed and ready to go for the wedding."

The servant girl looked at my hair, mouth agape. "But, but the Princess said to make sure that you look presentable!" she finally said. "She would be very angry at me if I let you walk out of this room looking like that!"

"I understand your concern, but I've got it all worked out already. You can tell Tanya that you fixed my hair the way that she told you to. You can't help it if I redid it after you left. Then she won't be mad at you, she'll be mad at me." I smiled, showing the girl that she could trust me.

"You'd, you'd do that for me? So that I didn't get in trouble?" She was dumbstruck. Had nobody ever done anything nice for her before?

"Of course I would do that for you. That way, we both get what we want. You get to please Tanya, and I get to have my hair the way that I want it. How's that sound?"

She smiled at me, a real, true smile. "That sounds wonderful, your highness." She bowed. "Would you like to get changed so that I can make sure that the suit looks alright and doesn't need any last minute fixes?" she asked, quickly lowering her eyes.

I internally rolled my eyes. I guess I can't have everything I wanted. "Sure. I'll go change real quick, then you can check the suit."

She smiled, and I took the suit and headed into the bathroom to change. It took me about ten minutes to get fully into my suit. It seemed that it was much more difficult to get on this time than it was the last time I had put it on for a formal dinner. Finally, after much hassle, I returned to my room to let the servant check it out.

She walked around me, straightening the collar, adjusting the sleeves, until the suit looked just right. "There you go, your highness. You look magnificent." She smiled. "If it pleases you, I'll go back to the Princess Tanya now and let her know that you are ready and looking spectacular."

I dismissed her with a nod of my head and a small thank you. She hurried out of the room, bag in hand. I looked at the clock. It was 11:30. I decided that I would head down to the chapel early. I looked around the room, making sure that I wasn't forgetting anything, when I saw the letter to Bella. I grabbed it and put it in the inside pocket of my suit. I'd find a way to get it to Jasper after the wedding. I walked out of my room, taking a deep breath, and headed to the rest of my life.

* * *

The chapel was quickly getting crowded. I watched from behind a door at the front of the chapel, the door that I would walk out of with my father and mother when the wedding officially started. I waited, watching for Jasper and Emmet. In the process of waiting for them, I watched literally thousands of people walk into the chapel and find a seat. I watched the entire Spanish court enter in a mass, not including the king. He would naturally be walking Tanya down the aisle. After an excruciating amount of time, I saw Jasper and Emmet hurry in the back doors. I glanced down at my watch. Of course, they would get here with no more than five minutes to spare. I rolled my eyes, silently thanking my mother for saving them seats close to the front. I watched them hurry to their seats and found myself laughing quietly at them. My father glanced at me, curiosity on his face. "Jasper and Emmet just arrived. It was comical to watch them hurry in with five minutes to the wedding." He nodded his head in understanding, a smile gracing his elegant features.

"I'm very glad that you have friends that you can depend on, son. I just hope that this wedding doesn't affect the friendships that you have. I know that they mean a lot to you son." He nodded at me again, heading off to find the priest who would walk in before us.

My mother silently appeared at my side. "You look handsome, Edward. Tanya is lucky to have someone like you." I scoffed at her, making sure that she knew what I was thinking. "I know how you feel about this whole situation, but I also know that you will make it work. I have faith in you, Edward. You will do what is best for you, and for your country." As soon as she finished that, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so very proud of you." The priest and my father walked up then. The priest nodded to me, then to my parents, and walked out of the door into the chapel.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before walking out in front of practically the entire country. I counted to five slowly, then followed the priest out, my mother and father right behind me. As we entered and took our places, the entire room stood and bowed. I watched it all with a silent fascination. I knew that they were bowing to my father, technically, but I couldn't help but feel that they were also bowing to me. It was a little bit intimidating, a little bit neat.

As soon as everyone was standing back upright, the wedding march began. Seeing as how we had no wedding party, the wedding would thankfully be short. I looked up when I heard the back doors to the chapel open. There was Tanya, standing with her father. She looked beautiful. Not just beautiful, but gorgeous. My stomach instantly held butterflies. She was wearing a very unique, yet elegant white dress. Her freshly dyed hair was done in an up do with small curls framing her face. Her nails were done in a simple French manicure, and her makeup was simple, yet exotic. I smiled at her as she approached the altar.

"Who gives this woman?" the priest asked.

King Aldolfo, whose eyes were red from what I assumed was crying, stated, "Her mother and I, King and Queen of Spain." He placed Tanya's hands into mine, then stepped back and took his place, next to his wife, behind Tanya.

Tanya smiled up at me. I heard the priest talking, but I couldn't understand a word he was saying. All I could do was stare at Tanya. As much as I didn't like it, I couldn't help but stare at her beauty. _I don't want to be marrying her!_ I silently reminded myself. But here we were anyways.

Tanya was looking at me, smiling, when I heard the priest say, "Now we will exchange your vows." He went on to explain how the vows were important, yada, yada, yada. I didn't want to be here.

Tanya went first. "I, Princess Tanya of Spain, take you Prince Edward of England, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Her gorgeous smile stayed in place the entire time she stated her vows.

I smiled at her, playing the part of the happy groom. It was my turn. "I, Prince Edward of England, take you Princess Tanya of Spain, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Her smile got even bigger, if it was possible.

The priest smiled at the two of us. The most important part of the ceremony was fixing to happen, and I felt my heart jump into my throat. "Do you, Princess Tanya, take Prince Edward, to be your loyally wedded husband?"

Her perfect smile stayed in place as she said, "I do."

Then the priest turned to me. "Do you, Prince Edward, take Princess Tanya, to be your loyally wedded wife?"

I could feel every eye in the chapel on me at that moment. I knew that every person in the room was hanging onto this moment. I could feel most heavily the gazes of my two best friends. I didn't know what to do. I stopped, took a deep breath. "I..."


	23. The Wedding, Part 2

**Hey! So sorry for not getting this posted sooner! It's be written for a while now, I just didn't like the way it had originally turned out. Anyways, here it is! Enjoy!**

**EPOV**

_Then the priest turned to me. "Do you, Prince Edward, take Princess Tanya, to be your loyally wedded wife?"_

_I could feel every eye in the chapel on me at that moment. I knew that every person in the room was hanging onto this moment. I could feel most heavily the gazes of my two best friends. I didn't know what to do. I stopped, took a deep breath. "I..."_

At that exact moment, the back door to the chapel slammed open. "I object!" I heard a loud, familiar voice yell.

Everyone gasped. Tanya was starring at the back door, glaring with all of her might at the intruder. I turned, and my face split into a smile. Alice had come through the door at the perfect moment. "Guards! Seize her! She is ruining my wedding!" Tanya yelled. Jimmy was the first one off of his feet and heading toward Alice.

Alice, ever the pixie, jumped out of his way nimbly. She threw her fist into the back of his head, knocking him out cold. The other guards stopped, wary of this small but fierce woman standing in the middle of the chapel. She smiled up at me.

"What is the meaning of this objection?" my father roared. He had warned me about something happening, and by the looks that he was throwing at me, he assumed that I had known about this all along. It probably didn't help that I couldn't stop smiling.

Alice danced up to him. "This wedding cannot be completed, your highness." She curtsied deeply to my father. "We have proof of two things, sir."

He gave her a tolerant, but stern, look. Knowing my father, he was only listening because of her curtsy. "Go on. I will hear you out."

Tanya stepped in front of Alice. "Your highness," she started, curtsying out of sheer politeness, "This can wait until after the wedding. It is almost over, and when it is, we can hear her out."

My father glared at Tanya. "I'm sorry, Princess, but if she has proof as to why this wedding should not be completed, we need to hear her out." He turned back to Alice, who had danced right around and in front of Tanya. "Please, continue."

Alice smiled. "First, sir, we have proof that the information that was put forth about Bella being a French spy was, one, false, and second, was put out by Tanya to get rid of Bella."

Tanya's face was contorted with anger. "Lies! She tells lies!" Tanya screamed.

Alice smiled at her. My father glanced at Tanya and at his friend, Aldolfo, then looked at Alice. "If you have proof of this, please, bring it forth."

Alice, ever the fashionista, pulled a pink manila envelope out of her Gucci purse and held it out to my father. He looked at it warily, then took it from Alice. As he went through the papers that were there, his face became more and more red. He then handed it to Tanya's father. Aldolfo leafed through it, then threw an angry glance at Tanya. "I can't believe that you would do this to your own father, girl. Why would you do that to me? You've made me look like a fool!" He was shaking in anger now.

Tanya glanced at her father fearfully. "I, I didn't lie to you, father. Everything I told you was true! I swear it!" She was frantic.

"I'm sure it was. True straight from your paid sources? I can't believe that you would use money on something so heartless."

Apparently, Tanya had one more thing up her sleeve. She smiled evilly as she looked at me, then my father. "Well, even if that information that you hold in your hand is false, Edward still has to marry a princess. Seeing as how I'm the only princess who is not betrothed or married, he has to marry me."

Alice glared at her, a frightening sight. "No, he doesn't, slut." She turned back to my father, ignoring the glare that Tanya was throwing at her. "Sir, I would like to present someone to you." My father nodded his head, and Alice danced out the back doors.

I watched the back doors fervently, hoping that Alice had found a loophole. When Alice came back through the doors, Rosalie was with her. They walked shoulder to shoulder until they got just inside the doors. Then they parted ways. What I saw then made my heart flutter.

Bella was standing there, gorgeous as always, in a simple white wedding dress. Her hair was done in simple curls. Alice had done a fantastic job.

"What is that traitor doing at my wedding?" Tanya yelled, furious. "I want her out of here now!"

Alice piped up. "Your highness, I would like to present to you Princess Isabella Swan." My jaw dropped. Princess? Bella was a princess? As if Alice could read my mind, she continued. "I traced Bella's lineage back as far as I could find it. If you go back to the 17th century, you will find that Bella's many, many greats grandfather was King Philip V. Her great, great, great, great, great grandparents decided, after handing the throne off to one of their sons, to go to the United States. It would be a new start for them. As it turned out, her great, great, great, great, great grandmother was pregnant on the way over. They changed their name to Swan to avoid the paparazzi and fame that would come with having a Spanish name."

I glanced at Bella. She was a Spanish princess? That meant . . .

"So, if she's a Spanish princess, then you, Edward, can marry her based on the law that was recently passed," my father stated, a smile on his face.

Tanya was throwing a fit now. "No! You can't ruin my wedding, you stupid little slut! You can't, you can't!" She threw herself towards Bella, who had started walking down the aisle toward me. Jasper and Emmet, who had been sitting on the aisle, jumped up and blocked her from getting to Bella.

"Tanya! Control yourself! You will not behave like that!" her father started scolding her. "That is why you have never been betrothed! You do not know how to handle yourself as a princess should. Now, let's go. We are leaving."

She dropped to her knees, sobbing. "It isn't fair, it isn't fair," she repeated over and over. Her father snapped his fingers at a couple of guards, who came and picked Tanya up and headed out the door, followed by her family. She was kicking and screaming the entire way.

I looked at Bella, afraid to move toward her in case my father changed his mind. "Would you like to get the ceremony over today, making use of what we have ready, or would you like to wait and personalize it to your beautiful bride?" my father quietly asked me.

I smiled at him. "If it's alright with Bella, I would like to make use of what we have ready. Bella?" I looked at her, hope dancing in my heart.

"I would love to make use of what you have ready, Edward," she said, a smile on her face.

I nodded to the priest as Bella made her way up the rest of the aisle to me. I took her hands. We skipped straight to the vows as everyone already knew why we were here.

"I, Edward, take you Bella, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." She smiled at me.

"I, Bella, take you Edward, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." I smiled back at her, joy radiating from me.

The priest continued on. "Do you, Bella, take this man to be your loyally wedded husband?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically. "I do."

The priest smiled. "Do you, Edward, take this woman to be your loyally wedded wife?"

I looked deep into Bella's eyes as I said, "I do."

**So, what did you think? I'm thinking that I may do an epilouge and close this particular story out. I'm not sure if a sequel will be done or not, but we'll see. Let me know what you think!**


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